Sammanfattning
Epigenetics is the study of mechanisms regulating gene expression (activity of genes), which are heritable, but do not involve the DNA sequence. Epigenetic mechanisms are part of normal development, involved in cellular differentiation of specific cell-types and tissues. Here, we provide an overview of epigenetics and describe how epigenetic differences can modulate the effect of drugs, and how drugs act through epigenetic mechanisms or may have epigenetic side effects. Pharmacoepigenetics is a new and rapidly expanding field, which can provide novel insights into drug mechanisms and the secondary effects.