Advances in Traditional Chinese Medicine for Modulating DNA Methylation in the Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases

DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic mechanism that modifies the epigenome without altering the DNA sequence, leading to heritable changes in gene expression and playing a vital role in biological processes. The regulation of DNA methylation has gained significant attention in recent years for its role in inflammatory diseases, with numerous studies indicating a correlation between abnormal gene methylation and disease development. However, current research on mature methylation-regulation drugs remains in its infancy. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been demonstrated to have a potential therapeutic effect in treating inflammatory diseases by modulating DNA methylation. In this review, we provide an overview of how DNA methylation participates in inflammatory diseases and how TCM assesses its function in regulating DNA methylation modifications. We aim to demonstrate a theoretical foundation for further research on the therapeutic targets and mechanisms of TCM in inflammatory disease treatment.