The Role of Epigenetics in Brain Aneurysm and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Comprehensive Review

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 25; no. 6; p. 3433
• Main Authors: Fernández-Pérez, Isabel, Macias-Gómez, Adrià, Suárez-Pérez, Antoni, Vallverdú-Prats, Marta, Giralt-Steinhauer, Eva, Bojtos, Lidia, Susin-Calle, Sílvia, Rodriguez-Campello, Ana, Guisado-Alonso, Daniel, Jimenez-Balado, Joan, Jiménez-Conde, Jordi, Cuadrado-Godia, Elisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 19.03.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Aortic aneurysms; Cerebrovascular disease; DNA Methylation; Epigenesis, Genetic; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; Gene expression; Genes; Genomes; Health aspects; Hemorrhage; Humans; Intracranial Aneurysm - genetics; Intracranial aneurysms; Ischemia; Methylation; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; MicroRNAs - genetics; Mortality; Pathogenesis; Prognosis; Proteins; Review; Stroke; Stroke (Disease); Subarachnoid hemorrhage; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage - complications; intracranial aneurysm; circular RNA; subarachnoid hemorrhage; DNA methylation; microRNA; long non-coding RNA; epigenetics
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms25063433

This comprehensive review explores the emerging field of epigenetics in intracranial aneurysm (IA) and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Despite recent advancements, the high mortality of aSAH needs an understanding of its underlying pathophysiology, where epigenetics plays a crucial role. This review synthesizes the current knowledge, focusing on three primary epigenetic mechanisms: DNA methylation, non-coding RNA (ncRNA), and histone modification in IA and aSAH. While DNA methylation studies are relatively limited, they suggest a significant role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of IA and aSAH, highlighting differentially methylated positions in genes presumably involved in these pathologies. However, methodological limitations, including small sample sizes and a lack of diverse population studies, temper these results. The role of ncRNAs, particularly miRNAs, has been more extensively studied, but there are still few studies focused on histone modifications. Despite methodological challenges and inconsistent findings, these studies underscore the involvement of miRNAs in key pathophysiological processes, including vascular smooth muscle regulation and the inflammatory response. This review emphasizes methodological challenges in epigenetic research, advocating for large-scale epigenome-wide association studies integrating genetic and environmental factors, along with longitudinal studies. Such research could unravel the complex mechanisms behind IA and aSAH, guiding the development of targeted therapeutic approaches.