Formaldehyde and De/Methylation in Age-Related Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Formaldehyde (FA) is a highly reactive substance that is ubiquitous in the environment and is usually considered as a pollutant. In the human body, FA is a product of various metabolic pathways and participates in one-carbon cycle, which provides carbon for the synthesis and modification of bio-compounds, such as DNA, RNA, and amino acids. Endogenous FA plays a role in epigenetic regulation, especially in the methylation and demethylation of DNA, histones, and RNA. Recently, epigenetic alterations associated with FA dysmetabolism have been considered as one of the important features in age-related cognitive impairment (ARCI), suggesting the potential of using FA as a diagnostic biomarker of ARCI. Notably, FA plays multifaceted roles, and, at certain concentrations, it promotes cell proliferation, enhances memory formation, and elongates life span, effects that could also be involved in the aetiology of ARCI. Further investigation of and the regulation of the epigenetics landscape may provide new insights about the aetiology of ARCI and provide novel therapeutic targets.

Spices and Seasoning Mixes in European Union—Innovations and Ensuring Safety

“…The use of formaldehyde is an extremely effective technology for chemical decontamination of herbs, but nowadays it is no longer used because of a significant reduction in the amount of essential oils in plant materials and the bad influence of human health. The increasing level of formaldehyde in the body may play an important role in the development of Alzheimer's disease [69]. Residues of formaldehyde can be detected in different products and these appear to be derived from the use of formaldehyde as a feed preservative.…”

Unusual Bioactive Compounds with Antioxidant Properties in Adjuvant Therapy Supporting Cognition Impairment in Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disorders

“…Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that exposure to formaldehyde (FA) results in fatigue, sleep, headaches, anxiety, and in particular, cognitive disorders. Thus, FA-injected animals are an appropriate model for the study of cognitive impairment [ 108 , 109 ]. According to the results of animal experiments, gaseous FA (3 mg/m 3 ), for 7 consecutive days of exposure, induces abnormal behaviors, such as depression, aggression, locomotor activity impairment, and spatial memory deficits.…”

Identification of Differential Genes of DNA Methylation Associated With Alzheimer’s Disease Based on Integrated Bioinformatics and Its Diagnostic Significance

“…DNA methylation regulates neuronal differentiation early in central nervous system development, whereas DNA methylation levels in the cerebral cortex change dynamically throughout life ( Mohn et al, 2008 ). With the progression of aging, the degree of DNA methylation differences increases and can affect the function of learning and memory ( Sharma et al, 2020 ; Li et al, 2021 ). Based on the specificity of different brain regions, neurons can express hypermethylation or hypomethylation at different sites during AD pathogenesis ( Sharma et al, 2020 ).…”