The pharmacology of natural and nutraceutical components is crucial in many cellular processes. Several clinical, physiopathological and epidemiological studies highlight the detrimental or beneficial role of natural/nutritional factors in conjunction with epigenetic and metabolic alterations. Furthermore there is growing evidence that metabolism is linked to epigenetic changes, especially in cancer pathologies. Examples of natural/nutritional molecules are: insulin, flavanol-rich compounds, short-chain fatty acids, indoles, and other dietary components that can be converted by cell metabolism into chemical intermediates implicated in epigenetic alterations. A deeper understanding on how metabolism and epigenetic are influenced by these components requires a molecular-level knowledge encompassing several aspects like the polypharmacological role of these compounds. In this context, pharmacophore-based techniques are described as a valuable chemoinformatic tool for tracking-down molecular determinants of nutriepigenomics and nutrimetabolomics molecular mechanisms.

Tracing pharmacophore determinants of natural- and nutritional-like components in epigenetics and metabolism

245th National Meeting (2013)

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