The role of dietary polyphenols in alternating DNA methylation in cancer

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Updated: Sep 4, 2025

Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer
07:50

Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer

Published on: September 18, 2020

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Nadir Mustafa Qadir Nanakali1,2, Parisa Maleki Dana3, Fatemeh Sadoughi3

  • 1Department of Biomedical Science, College of Science, Cihan University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Erbil, Iraq.

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
|July 18, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Natural compounds like curcumin and resveratrol can fight cancer by altering DNA methylation. These natural products help restore tumor suppressor gene expression, offering a novel cancer treatment strategy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Epigenetics
  • Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

  • Natural products exhibit antitumor properties by targeting cancer mechanisms like proliferation and metastasis.
  • Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, are crucial in cancer development and progression.
  • Targeting DNA methylation presents a promising strategy for cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review studies on natural products' effects on DNA methylation in cancer cells.
  • To explore how natural compounds modulate DNA methylation status and gene expression.
  • To highlight the potential of natural products as epigenetic modulators in cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating natural products and DNA methylation in cancer.
  • Analysis of how compounds like curcumin, resveratrol, EGCG, and quercetin affect DNA methylation enzymes.
  • Examination of the impact on tumor suppressor gene expression and signaling pathways.

Main Results:

  • Natural products can alter DNA methylation patterns in various cancer cells.
  • These compounds reduce the expression of enzymes responsible for methylating tumor suppressor genes.
  • This leads to increased expression of tumor suppressors and reactivation of antitumor pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Natural products demonstrate significant potential in modulating cancer epigenetics, specifically DNA methylation.
  • Compounds like curcumin, resveratrol, EGCG, and quercetin can reverse aberrant methylation, reactivating tumor suppressor functions.
  • Targeting DNA methylation with natural products offers a promising avenue for developing novel cancer therapies.
Keywords:
CurcuminDNA methylationDNMTEGCGquercetinresveratrol

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