The protective effects of fruits, vegetables, and other foods on
prostate cancer may be due to their
antioxidant properties. An imbalance in the oxidative stress/
antioxidant status is observed in
prostate cancer patients. Genome oxidative damage in
prostate cancer patients is associated with higher lipid peroxidation and lower
antioxidant levels.
Oxygen radicals are associated with different steps of
carcinogenesis, including structural DNA damage, epigenetic changes, and
protein and
lipid alterations. Epigenetics affects genetic regulation, cellular differentiation, embryology, aging,
cancer, and other diseases. DNA methylation is perhaps the most extensively studied epigenetic modification, which plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression and
chromatin architecture, in association with
histone modification and other
chromatin-associated
proteins. This review will provide a broad overview of the interplay of oxidative stress and DNA methylation, DNA methylation changes in regulation of gene expression, lifestyle changes for
prostate cancer prevention, DNA methylation as
biomarkers for
prostate cancer, methods for detection of methylation, and clinical application of DNA methylation inhibitors for epigenetic
therapy.