随着人类遗传和基因组研究进展，对于心血管疾病相关的遗传变异鉴定也有了新的进展，但致病机制仍不清楚。最近的研究结果表明，血管疾病CVD发生和发展的表观遗传机制，可能与DNA甲基化和组蛋白修饰有关。2015年4月发表于《Trends in pharmacological sciences》(药理学趋势)杂志的一篇文章介绍了相关内容。

        文章初步研究了DNA甲基化，组蛋白修饰和RNA水平与心血管疾病的相关性，涉及的心血管疾病包括动脉粥样硬化，心力衰竭(HF)，心肌梗死(MI)，与心肌肥厚。值得注意的是，妊娠和产后高胆固醇血症可能会影响患者心血管系统的表观遗传学标记，从而提供新的早期表观遗传相关病理结论。有趣的是，一些饮食成分，包括茶多酚，可可和叶酸，可以调节DNA甲基化状态，而他汀类药物可能通过组蛋白修饰促进心血管疾病的预防。作者还对近期心血管疾病的表观遗传调控治疗方案和新的挑战进行了综述。

        Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2015 Apr;36(4):226-235. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2015.02.005. Epub 2015 Mar 7.

        Epigenetic-related therapeutic challenges in cardiovascular disease.

        Schiano C1, Vietri MT2, Grimaldi V3, Picascia A4, De Pascale MR4, Napoli C5.

        Author information

        Abstract

        Progress in human genetic and genomic research has led to the identification of genetic variants associated with specific cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but the pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear. Recent studies have analyzed the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modifications in the development and progression of CVD. Preliminary work has investigated the correlations between DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA-based mechanisms with CVDs including atherosclerosis, heart failure (HF), myocardial infarction (MI), and cardiac hypertrophy. Remarkably, both in utero programming and postnatal hypercholesterolemia may affect the epigenetic signature in the human cardiovascular system, thereby providing novel early epigenetic-related pharmacological insights. Interestingly, some dietary compounds, including polyphenols, cocoa, and folic acid, can modulate DNA methylation status, whereas statins may promote epigenetic-based control in CVD prevention through histone modifications. We review recent findings on the epigenetic control of cardiovascular system and new challenges for therapeutic strategies in CVDs.