Epigenetic regulation of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer in men and a leading cause of cancer deaths. Whilst the underlying mechanisms leading to prostate cancer are still to be determined, it is evident that both genetic and epigenetic changes contribute to the development and progression of this disease. Epigenetic changes involving DNA hypo- and hypermethylation, altered histone modifications and more recently changes in microRNA expression have been detected at a range of genes associated with prostate cancer. Furthermore, there is evidence that particular epigenetic changes are associated with different stages of the disease. Whilst early detection can lead to effective treatment, and androgen deprivation therapy has a high response rate, many tumours develop towards hormone-refractory prostate cancer, for which there is no successful treatment. Reliable markers for early detection and more effective treatment strategies are, therefore, needed. Consequently, there is a considerable interest in the potential of epigenetic changes as markers or targets for therapy in prostate cancer. Epigenetic modifiers that demethylate DNA and inhibit histone deacetylases have recently been explored to reactivate silenced gene expression in cancer. However, further understanding of the mechanisms and the effects of chromatin modulation in prostate cancer are required. In this review, we examine the current literature on epigenetic changes associated with prostate cancer and discuss the potential use of epigenetic modifiers for treatment of this disease

Epigenetic modulators as therapeutic targets in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the most common non-cutaneous malignancies among men worldwide. Epigenetic aberrations, including changes in DNA methylation patterns and/or histone modifications, are key drivers of prostate carcinogenesis. These epigenetic defects might be due to deregulated function and/or expression of the epigenetic machinery, affecting the expression of several important genes. Remarkably, epigenetic modifications are reversible and numerous compounds that target the epigenetic enzymes and regulatory proteins were reported to be effective in cancer growth control. In fact, some of these drugs are already being tested in clinical trials. This review discusses the most important epigenetic alterations in prostate cancer, highlighting the role of epigenetic modulating compounds in pre-clinical and clinical trials as potential therapeutic agents for prostate cancer management.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Adjunctive metformin for antipsychotic-induced dyslipidemia: A meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials

Antipsychotic-induced dyslipidemia could increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This is a meta-analysis of randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials to examine the efficacy and safety of adjunctive metformin for dyslipidemia induced by antipsychotics in schizophrenia. The standardized mean differences (SMDs) and risk ratios (RRs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random-effects model with the RevMan 5.3 version software. The primary outcome was the change of serum lipid level. Twelve studies with 1215 schizophrenia patients (592 in metformin group and 623 in placebo group) were included and analyzed. Adjunctive metformin was significantly superior to placebo with regards to low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) [SMD: −0.37 (95%CI:−0.69, −0.05), P = 0.02; I 2 = 78%], total cholesterol [SMD: −0.47 (95%CI:−0.66, −0.29), P \u3c 0.00001; I 2 = 49%], triglyceride [SMD: −0.33 (95%CI:−0.45, −0.20), P \u3c 0.00001; I 2 = 0%], and high density lipoprotein cholesterol [SMD: 0.29 (95% CI:0.02, 0.57), P = 0.03; I 2 = 69%]. The superiority of metformin in improving LDL-C level disappeared in a sensitivity analysis and 80% (8/10) of subgroup analyses. Metformin was significantly superior to placebo with regards to decrease in body weight, body mass index, glycated hemoglobin A1c, fasting insulin, and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (P = 0.002–0.01), but not regarding changes in waist circumference, waist-to-hip rate, leptin, fasting glucose, and blood pressure (P = 0.07–0.33). The rates of discontinuation due to any reason [RR: 0.97 (95%CI: 0.66, 1.43), P = 0.89; I 2 = 0%] was similar between the two groups. Adjunctive metformin could be useful to improve total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but it was not effective in improving LDL-C level in schizophrenia