Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease affected by both genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, the role of epigenetics in the pathogenesis of COPD has attracted much attention. As one of the three epigenetic mechanisms, DNA methylation has been extensively studied in COPD. The present review aims at overviewing the effect of DNA methylation on etiology, pathogenesis, pathophysiological changes, and complications of COPD. The clarification of aberrant methylation of target genes, which play important roles in the initiation and progression of COPD, will provide new disease-specific biomarker and targets for early diagnosis and therapy.
Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DNA methylation; Epigenetic.