Natural products in the reprogramming of Cancer epigenetics.

Abstract Owing to the technological advancements, including next generation sequencing, the significance of deregulated epigenetic mechanisms in cancer initiation, progression and treatment has become evident. The accumulating knowledge relating to the epigenetic markers viz. DNA methylation, Histone modifications and non-coding RNAs make them one of the most interesting candidates for developing anti-cancer therapies. The reversibility of deregulated epigenetic mechanisms through environmental and dietary factors opens numerous avenues in the field of chemoprevention and drug development. Recent studies have proven that plant-derived natural products encompass a great potential in targeting epigenetic signatures in cancer and numerous natural products are being explored for their possibility to be considered as “epi-drug”. This review intends to highlight the major aberrant epigenetic mechanisms and summarizes the essential functions of natural products like Resveratrol, Quercetin, Genistein, Isoflavones etc. in modulating these aberrations, known so far, along with the challenges and limitations concerning this field which would have implications in developing novel and successful therapeutic strategies. Hence, this will possibly provide a lead for the development of safer, bioavailable drugs either alone or in combination. The interaction of epigenetics with different hallmarks of cancer and how natural products can be utilized to target them will also be interesting in the future therapeutic approaches.