Epigenetics of cardiovascular diseases – focus on cardiooncology

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) continue to occupy a dominant position in the structure of global morbidity and mortality. In recent years, special attention of researchers has been attracted by the role of epigenetic regulation in the pathogenesis of CVD. Epigenetic mechanisms, which are a system of inherited changes in gene expression without modification of the primary structure of DNA, are considered as a key link in the interaction between genetic predisposition and the influence of environmental factors. Studies have confirmed that epigenetic regulation plays a significant role in changing the phenotype, affecting the genes responsible for maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis. This circumstance determines the growing interest of the medical scientific community in the study of epigenetic modifications, since they allow us to uncover the molecular basis for the transformation of risk factors into subclinical and manifest forms. This article describes the epigenetic mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases and highlights in detail the relevance of epigenetics in cardio-oncology.