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The Open Nutraceuticals Journal, 2010, 3, 188-193

Open Access

A Review on Epigenetic Effect of Heavy Metal Carcinogens on Human Health
Sanjay Mishra1,*, Surya Prakash Dwivedi1 and R.B. Singh2
Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering & Technology, IFTM Campus, Delhi Road, Moradabad 244 001, UP, India
2 1

Halberg Hospital & Research Center, Civil Lines, Moradabad 244001, U.P., India
Abstract: Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and premature death worldwide. Certain strategies for minimizing carcinogenic factors’ exposure can reduce the risk of most cancer types in human. Millions of people around the world get exposed to high levels of heavy metals in the drinking-water. Therefore, quality control in drinking-water and detection of its heavymetals is extremely critical issue in maintaining the human health. The carcinogenicity of aluminum, arsenic, chromium, nickel and selenium has been documented previously, but in scattered fashion. Trace amount of these elements entering the body via various routes can induce genetic and epigenetic alteration in different cancer related genes of somatic and stem cells, thus involving in cancer stemcell formation. Epigenetic variations in the etiology of cancer have led to increasing of cancer research studies in last recent years. Although epigenetic effects of these elements have more prominent role than their genetics effects, these elements are able to alter the pattern of cancerrelated genes’ expression profiles, too. Therefore, an understanding of the underlying epigeneticallymechanisms of these trace elements and the compounds, which could reduce their toxicities or the number of cancer cases due to these elements in the areas that are contaminated with these metals. Perhaps the toxic effects of these elements in many regions are predictable, but antioxidant supplements may eliminate the reactive oxygen species as leading effects of these elements. The present review articleis the compilation of various studies dealt with epigenetic effects of carcinogens on human health.

Keywords: Cancer prevention, Cancer stem cell, Drinking-water, Epigenetic effects of carcinogens, Heavy metal. INTRODUCTION Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and premature death worldwide [1]. While cancer was previously a problem principally of the industrially developedcountries, it increasingly is a problem in the developing ones. Today, half of the world’s newly diagnosed cancers and over 70% of all cancer deaths occur in middle and low-income countries [2]. This persistent and growing burden of cancer in the world’s population’s warrants heightened public health attention. Prevention, early detection, and therapy have all proven effective in controlling certaintypes of cancer and in reducing the burden of premature death and advanced disease [3-6]. The prevalence and mortality due to multifactorial polygenic diseases such as varieties of cancer vary depending upon genetic susceptibility and environmental precursors because they have identifiable mendelian subsets. Rapid changes in diet and lifestyle may influence heritability of the variant phenotypes thatare dependent on the nutraceutical supplementation for their expression [5, 6]. It is possible to recognize the interaction of specific nutraceuticals, with the genetic code possessed by all nucleated cells [6]. In
*Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering & Technology, IFTM Campus, Delhi Road, Moradabad 244 001, UP, India; Tel:+91-591-2360817; Fax: +91-591-2360818; E-mail: sanjaymishra66@gmail.com 1876-3960/10

many countries, however, these well established approaches to cancer control have not been applied to their full potential and in many countries are not applied at all. Furthermore, great disparities still exist in cancer control in relation to gender, race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. Till date, many...