Department of Pharmacology and the Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China.
Behav Neurol. 2020 Sep 8;2020:8438602. doi: 10.1155/2020/8438602. eCollection 2020.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease in the central nervous system that has complex pathogenesis in the elderly. The current review focuses on the epigenetic mechanisms of AD, according to the latest findings. One of the best-characterized chromatin modifications in epigenetic mechanisms is DNA methylation. Highly replicable data shows that AD occurrence is often accompanied by methylation level changes of the AD-related gene. Homocysteine (Hcy) is not only an intermediate product of one-carbon metabolism but also an important independent risk factor of AD; it can affect the cognitive function of the brain by changing the one-carbon metabolism and interfering with the DNA methylation process, resulting in cerebrovascular disease. In general, Hcy may be an environmental factor that affects AD via the DNA methylation pathway with a series of changes in AD-related substance. This review will concentrate on the relation between DNA methylation and Hcy and try to figure out their rule in the pathophysiology of AD.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种中枢神经系统的慢性神经退行性疾病，其在老年人中的发病机制复杂。本综述根据最新发现，重点关注 AD 的表观遗传机制。表观遗传机制中研究最充分的染色质修饰之一是 DNA 甲基化。高度可复制的数据表明，AD 的发生通常伴随着 AD 相关基因的甲基化水平变化。同型半胱氨酸（Hcy）不仅是一碳代谢的中间产物，也是 AD 的重要独立危险因素；它可以通过改变一碳代谢和干扰 DNA 甲基化过程来影响大脑的认知功能，导致脑血管疾病。总的来说，Hcy 可能是通过 AD 相关物质的一系列变化，通过 DNA 甲基化途径影响 AD 的环境因素。本综述将集中讨论 DNA 甲基化与 Hcy 之间的关系，并试图阐明它们在 AD 病理生理学中的规律。
