Epigenetics and Inflammation: Exploring the Link for Chronic Human Diseases Including Periodontal Disease

Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that are not mediated by alterations of the genetic code itself but are caused by biochemical modifications of the nucleotide bases that alter the three-dimensional structure of DNA. The epigenome, consisting of chromatin and its modifications, functions as an interface between the inherited genome and the dynamism imposed by the environment. Over the past decade, there has been mounting evidence suggestive of associations between epigenetic modifications and various human conditions such as aging, and most common human diseases viz. cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, etc., and the clearest evidence as the central mechanism for common multifactorial diseases has been identified with the factors involved in the inflammatory response. This emerging knowledge can give a great contribution to the field of medicine as it can be potentially utilized to develop newer understandings about pathogenesis, diagnostics, and therapies for major chronic human diseases, e.g., chronic metabolic diseases, immune-inflammatory disorders (including periodontal disease), and cancers, etc. The current paper aims to provide the clinicians a comprehensive review, based on the available supportive evidence to update this interesting concept capable of providing a better comprehension of the underlying disease mechanisms, so as to develop and decipher the novel methodologies to diagnose and treat these diseases.