Air pollution-induced epigenetic changes: disease development and a possible link with hypersensitivity pneumonitis

Air pollution is a serious threat to our health and has become one of the major causes of many diseases including cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. The association between air pollution and various diseases has long been a topic of research interest. However, it remains unclear how air pollution actually impacts health by modulating several important cellular functions. Recently, some evidence has emerged about air pollution-induced epigenetic changes, which are linked with the etiology of various human diseases. Among several epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation represents the most prominent epigenetic alteration underlying the air pollution-induced pathogenic mechanism. Several other types of epigenetic changes, such as histone modifications, miRNA, and non-coding RNA expression, have also been found to have been linked with air pollution. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), one of the most prevalent forms of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), is triggered by the inhalation of certain organic and inorganic substances. HP is characterized by inflammation in the tissues around the lungs’ airways and may lead to irreversible lung scarring over time. This review, in addition to other diseases, attempts to understand whether certain pollutants influence HP development through such epigenetic modifications.