Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine: Targeting the Right Player via Nanotechnology is a complete package that provides a comprehensive and thorough understanding of the key players that modulate the various steps of carcinogenesis and malignant progression of the disease and the critical targets to be exploited for developing novel modalities of diagnosis and therapeutics.
Since epigenetic aberrations can be potentially reversed and restored to their normal state through epigenetic therapy, the book also discusses the challenges and the future of the field with the cutting-edge revelations and limitations that this research endeavor can offer, thereby helping the readers to enhance their critical thinking and adopt strategies of therapeutic importance.
About the editors Preface Acknowledgments SECTION 1 Overview of cancer, internal and external factors associated with cancer CHAPTER 1 Overview of cancer: Mechanisms of carcinogenesis Uttara Saran and Chitra Thakur Introduction Cancer: A historical perspective Origin of cancer: Theories and drivers of carcinogenesis Theories of cancer origin Mechanisms of carcinogenesis Hallmarks of cancer Epigenetics and cancer DNA methylation in cancer Histone modifications Nucleosome positioning Noncoding RNAs Conclusion References CHAPTER 2 Tumor metabolism and micronutrients: New insights to target malignant tumors Santhi Latha Pandrangi, Prasanthi Chittineedi, and Sireesha V. Garimella Introduction Role of micronutrients in targeting malignant tumors Impact of iron levels on cancer proliferation Targeting intracellular iron levels to induce cellular death Impact of calcium levels on cancer proliferation Targeting calcium levels to induce cellular death Impact of magnesium levels on cancer proliferation Targeting Warburg effect to induce tumor cell death Role of glycolytic enzymes in inducing cancer cell death Other metabolic pathways used by tumor cells Interplay between glutaminolysis and Warburg effect Discussion and conclusion Author contributions Conflict of interest Acknowledgments References CHAPTER 3 The role of one-carbon amino acids in tumor-immune metabolism: From oncogenesis to therapy Suchandrima Saha and Monisankar Ghosh Introduction One-carbon metabolism Methionine Serine One-carbon metabolism and T-cell function Dependency of methionine metabolism in T-cells Dependency of serine metabolism in T-cells Restriction of AAs as therapy Therapeutic restriction of methionine Therapeutic restriction of serine Conclusion and future directions References CHAPTER 4 Environmental causes of cancer Priya Wadgaonkar Introduction Smoking and tobacco use Radiation Alcohol consumption Diet and obesity Air pollution Water pollution Soil pollution Pathogenic microbes Environmental carcinogens Perspectives References CHAPTER 5 Cancer stem cells—Challenges for cancer therapies Rashi Arora, Apoorva Uboveja, and Rama Kadamb Introduction The identification of the CSCs CSCs in tumorigenesis models Biology of CSCs Challenges posed by CSCs in cancer therapies Ambiguity of the CSC markers Crosstalk among the regulatory pathways CSC-mediated tumor dormancy Enhanced drug efflux activity of CSCs Increased DNA repair in CSC’s Enhanced autophagy and mitophagy in CSC’s Suppressed ferroptosis in CSCs Metastatic potential of CSC’s Hypoxic adaptation CSCs generate a tumor supporting niche Epigenetic regulation Perspective References CHAPTER 6 Carving a therapeutic niche for metastatic cancer: Opportunities and challenges Sireesha V. Garimella, Rahul Roy, Siri Chandana Gampa, and Santhi Latha Pandrangi Introduction Hallmarks of cancer History of metastasis Mechanism of metastasis Challenges for therapy of metastasis Conclusion References SECTION 2 Epigenetics and its importance in cancer therapies CHAPTER 7 An overview of epigenetics and cancer Rajendra P. Pangeni Role of epigenetics in normal and cancer cells Epigenetics mechanism and their regulation on cancer DNA methylation in cancer Role of histone modifications in cancer Chromatin remodeling in cancer DNA methylation and histone methylation cross-talks Role of epigenetic dysregulation of noncoding RNAs in cancer Epigenetic dysregulation in cancer stem cells, a promise for therapeutic intervention Epigenetics in the clinics: Prognostics, diagnostics, and therapeutic intervention for cancers Harnessing epigenetics mechanism in prognosis and diagnosis of cancer Epigenetic therapy: A targeted approach to cancer treatment Advancements and innovation in epigenetic technologies in investigating mechanisms in cancer cells Epigenetic profiling Epigenome editing Single-cell epigenomics References CHAPTER 8 Metabolic adaptation and epigenetic modulations: Unraveling tumor plasticity under variable tumor microenvironment Jowana Obeid and Mehdi Damaghi Introduction Metabolic adaptation to TME Metabolic microenvironment in solid tumors TME altered metabolic pathways Metabolic reprogramming via transcription factors in the TME ROS and redox signaling in a harsh TME Epigenetic and metabolic crosstalk in TME DNA methylation RNA methylation Chromatin modifications Noncoding RNA Metabolic plasticity Epigenetic modifications in shaping the TME Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity Cancer cell dormancy Intratumor heterogeneity leading to phenotypic variation References CHAPTER 9 Involvement of epigenetic modifications in cancer stem cells and chemoresistance Prajakta Oak and Chitra Thakur Tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance Cancer stem cells: A new dimension to drug resistance Reprogramming of cancer stem cells and epigenetic modifications DNA methylation Histone modifications Histone methylation and demethylation Histone acetylation and deacetylation Noncoding RNAs Micro-RNAs (miRNA) Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) RNA methylation Epigenetic involvement in drug resistance Therapeutic targeting of epigenetic alterations in cancers DNMT inhibitors Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors Histone methyltransferase inhibitors Combinatorial strategies for epigenetic therapeutics References CHAPTER 10 Cancer biomarkers: Where genetics meets epigenetics Snehal Nirgude and Jennifer M. Kalish Epigenetics in cancer biology Histone modifications Histone acetylation Histone methylation Histone PTMs as cancer biomarkers DNA methylation Chromatin remodeling complexes Noncoding RNAs miRNAs in cancer miRNA-based therapeutic strategies Conclusion References CHAPTER 11 Epigenetics approach in cancer treatment with focus on lung and breast cancer Sayani Bhattacharjee Introduction to epigenetics in breast and lung cancer DNA methylation in breast and lung cancer Chromatin remodeling and HDAC inhibition Role of miRNAs as epigenetic biomarkers Scope of epidrugs Future directions References CHAPTER 12 Dietary components as epigenetic modifiers and their roles in cancer prevention Chitra Thakur and Uttara Saran Introduction Epigenetic mechanisms and its importance in cancer Crosstalk between dietary components and metabolism in epigenetic regulation Types of dietary components and their role in epigenetics and chemoprevention Dietary polyphenols Epigallocatechin-gallate Sulforaphane Resveratrol Curcumin Quercetin Genistein Conclusion References SECTION 3 Nanomedicine targeting epigenetic machinery in cancer therapy CHAPTER 13 Harnessing plant-derived biosynthetic nanomaterials for epigenetic modulation in cancer therapy Ritu Karwasra, Kushagra Khanna, Shivani Bhardwaj, Nitin Sharma, Ashok K. Janakiraman, Ramkanth Sundarapandian, and Surender Singh Introduction Epigenetic modulation in cancer Current approaches for epigenetic modulation in cancer therapy Biosynthetic nanomaterials from plants Plant-based nanomaterials used in cancer research Epigenetic modulation by biosynthetic nanomaterials Plant-derived nanoparticles for targeted delivery of epigenetic modifiers Plant secondary metabolites as natural epigenetic modulators Plant-based polymeric nanoparticles for sustained release of epigenetic drugs Experimental evidence and preclinical studies Clinical potential and future directions Conclusion References CHAPTER 14 Nanotechnology-enhanced immunotherapy for cancer Akshata R. Naik Introduction The fundamentals of the immune system T-cell ontogeny T-cell activation signals Tumor immunology Immune responses against tumors Adoptive T-cell therapy for combating cancers Immune checkpoints and their role in cancer immunotherapy CTLA-4 PD-1/PD-L1 pathway TIGIT LAG3 Other therapies Nanotechnological advances in immunotherapy References CHAPTER 15 Nanoparticles in metastatic cancer treatment K.R. Manu, Ananya Kar, Pushparathinam Gopinath, Garima Gupta, Amirhossein Sahebkar, Prashant Kesharwani, and Rambabu Dandela Introduction Understanding metastasis in cancer NPs for drug delivery Fundamentals and rationale for using NPs in cancer treatment Applications of NPs for drug deliverance Targeted drug delivery methodologies Passive targeting: EPR effect (enhanced permeability and retention) Active targeting Intracellular/intramolecular targeted therapies Applications in metastatic cancer treatment Conclusion and future perspectives Acknowledgments References CHAPTER 16 Amine-terminated dendrimers: A novel method for diagnose, control and treatment of cancer Yeganeh Modirrousta and Somaye Akbari Introduction A summary of amine-terminated dendrimers The application of amine-terminated dendrimers in cancer Diagnose Treatment Toxicity of dendrimers Cytotoxicity Hemolytic toxicity Toxicity of dendrimers in the body Conclusion and future trend References CHAPTER 17 Nanomedicine and epigenome: Possible health risks, benefits, and future perspectives Nitin Verma, Komal Thapa, Neha Kanojia, Parul Sood, Jatin Kumar, and Kamal Dua Introduction Therapeutic implications of nanomaterial in nanomedicine Diagnostic applications Regenerative medicine Therapy Potential role of epigenetics in nanomedicine Types of epigenetic modifications In vitro and in vivo epigenetic modifications Role of epigenetic alterations in the safety assessment of nanomaterials Conclusion and future perspectives References CHAPTER 18 Smart cancer nanomedicine: Challenges and future opportunities Moumita Roy Introduction Cancer treatment challenges Nanotherapy and its challenges Tumor microenvironment and nanotherapy action while targeting tumor physiology pH-sensitive smart nanoparticles for targeting TME Smart GSH, ROS, and Hypoxia-sensitive nanoparticles Enzyme-responsive nanomaterials Role of metal nanoparticles in cancer therapy Gold nanoparticle Silver nanoparticle Platinum nanoparticles Palladium nanoparticles Nonnoble metal nanoparticle Conclusion Acknowledgments References Index
Dr. Prashant Kesharwani is assistant professor of Pharmaceutics at Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India. He has more than 12 years of teaching, research, and industrial experience at international levels from various countries, including the United States, Malaysia, and India. An overarching goal of his current research is the development of nanoengineered drug delivery systems for various diseases. He has more than 350 international publications in well-reputed journals and more than 25 international books (Elsevier). He is a recipient of many research grants from various funding bodies. He is also the recipient of several internationally acclaimed awards, such as “USERN Laureate award, most prestigious “SERB-Ramanujan Fellowship Award. He actively participates in outreach and scientific dissemination for the service of the wider community. His Number of citations is = 26779; h-index = 85; i-10 index = 370 (According to google scholar on March 2025). He has more than 30 international publications published in very high impact factor journals (Progress in Polymer Sciences IF 32.063, Molecular Sciences IF 41.444, Progress in Material Sciences IF 48.580, Advanced Materials IF 29.4, Drug Resistance Update IF 22.841 and Material Todays IF 32.072). He has presented many invited talks and oral presentations at prestigious scientific peer-conferences, received international acclaims and awards for research contribution, supervised students/junior researchers and actively participated in outreach and scientific dissemination for the service of the wider community. Dr. Chitra Thakur is an Assistant Professor-Research in the Department of Pathology at the Stony Brook Cancer Center, New York, USA. She is a cancer biologist and has expertise in molecular oncology, mouse models of human cancers, analyzing big data in translational research, toxicology, and epigenetics in human cancers. She is the recipient of several internationally acclaimed awards such as the “DFG German Excellence Initiative Award,, “NIH-Big Data Training for Translational Omics Research and “American Cancer Society IRG. With more than 45 research articles published in mainstream scientific journals, she has contributed significantly towards the understanding of the molecular mechanisms in human cancers. She is engrossed in cancer research, teaching, and community outreach initiatives, hence fostering the scientific community and health care professionals engaged in cancer diagnosis, and treatment.
