Table 4.
Epigenetic studies in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).
| Study | Design | Epigenetic Mechanism | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migita et al., 2015 [137] | 46 AIH patients vs. 40 CHCV and 13 HC | miRNAs | •Increased levels of miR-21 associated with liver inflammation •Decreased levels of miR-21 and miR-122 in cirrhosis |
| Yamaura et al., 2017 [138] | 28 patients (CHBV, AIH, PBC,NASH, CHCV) vs. 4 HC | miRNAs | •Reduced levels of miR-218, miR-363, miR-518f, miR-628–5p, miR-888, miR-523, miR-141, miR-302 b, miR-643, and miR-57-not capable to distinguish AIH from other liver diseases |
| Chen et al., 2018 [139] | animal model | miRNAs | •miR-223: protective effect on liver, regulating the nucleotide binding oligonucleotide domain like receptor 3 and caspase 1 |
| Su et al., 2016 [140] | animal model | miRNAs | •miR-674–5p acted as a negative regulator of 5-lipoxygenase mediated liver injury |
| Xia et al., 2018 [141] | animal model | miRNAs | •miR-155 attenuated concanavalin A induced AIH by inhibiting TH17 cell function |
| Zachou et al., 2021 [148] | 10 AIH at diagnosis vs. 8 AIH at remission, vs 9 PBC and 10HC | •DNMTs/TETs •total 5mC/5hmC •IHC •cell specific DNA methylation |
•No difference in 5mC/5hmC •Altered expression of DNMT3A and TET1 in AIH at diagnosis •Association of DNMT3A with disease activity and treatment •Increased 5hmC staining of the periportal infiltrating lymphocytes •Gene specific epigenetic alterations in pathways of immune response |
Abbreviations: AIH, autoimmune hepatitis; PBC, primary biliary cholangitis; CHBV, chronic HBV infection; CHCV, chronic HCV infection; NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; HC, healthy controls; miRNAs, micro-RNAs; DNMTs, DNA methyl-transferases; TETs, ten eleven-translocation enzymes; 5mC/5hmC: 5-methylcytosine/5-hydroxymethyl cytosine; IHC, immunohistochemistry.