School of Basic Medical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu Province, China.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, Jiangsu Province, China.
Heart Fail Rev. 2018 Sep;23(5):789-799. doi: 10.1007/s10741-018-9694-z.
Cardiac fibrosis is defined as excess deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), resulting in tissue scarring and organ dysfunction. In recent years, despite the underlying mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis are still unknown, numerous studies suggest that epigenetic regulation of cardiac fibrosis. Cardiac fibrosis is regulated by a myriad of factors that converge on the transcription of genes encoding extracellular matrix protein, a process the epigenetic machinery plays a pivotal role. Epigenetic modifications contain three main processes: DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs. Here, we review recent studies that have illustrated key roles for epigenetic events in the control of pro-fibrotic gene expression, and highlight the potential of molecule mechanisms that target epigenetic regulators as a means of treating cardiac fibrosis.
心脏纤维化被定义为细胞外基质（ECM）的过度沉积，导致组织瘢痕和器官功能障碍。近年来，尽管心脏纤维化的潜在机制仍不清楚，但大量研究表明，心脏纤维化受到表观遗传调控。心脏纤维化受许多因素调节，这些因素都集中在编码细胞外基质蛋白的基因转录上，表观遗传机制在这个过程中起着关键作用。表观遗传修饰包含三个主要过程：DNA 甲基化、组蛋白修饰和非编码 RNA。在这里，我们综述了最近的研究，这些研究表明了表观遗传事件在控制促纤维化基因表达中的关键作用，并强调了靶向表观遗传调节剂的分子机制作为治疗心脏纤维化的一种手段的潜力。
