TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Violence against women and stress-related disorders: seeking for associated epigenetic signatures, a pilot study
JO  - Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
A1  - Piccinini, Andrea
A1  - Bailo, Paolo
A1  - Barbara, Giussy
A1  - Miozzo, Monica
A1  - Tabano, Silvia
A1  - Colapietro, Patrizia
A1  - Farè, Claudia
A1  - Sirchia, Silvia Maria
A1  - Battaglioli, Elena
A1  - Bertuccio, Paola
A1  - Manenti, Giulia
A1  - Micci, Laila
A1  - La Vecchia, Carlo
A1  - Kustermann, Alessandra
A1  - Gaudi, Simona
SP  - e173
EP  - e173
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
N2  - BACKGROUND: Violence against women is a relevant health and social problem with negative consequences on women's health. The interaction between genome and environmental factors, such as violence, represents one of the major challenges in molecular medicine. The Epigenetics for WomEn (EpiWE) project is a multidisciplinary pilot study that intends to investigate the epigenetic signatures associated with intimate partner and sexual violence-induced stress-related disorders. <br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2020, 62 women exposed to violence (13 women suffering from sexual violence and 49 from Intimate Partner Violence, IPV) and 50 women with no history of violence were recruited at the Service for Sexual and Domestic Violence. All women aged 18-65 were monitored for their physical and psychological conditions. Blood samples were collected, and DNAs were extracted and underwent the epigenetic analysis of 10 stress-related genes. <br><br>RESULTS: PTSD prevalence in victims was assessed at 8.1%. Quantitative methylation evaluation of the ten selected trauma/stress-related genes revealed the differential iper-methylation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, dopamine receptor D2 and insulin-like growth factor 2 genes. These genes are among those related to brain plasticity, learning, and memory pathways. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The association of early detection of posttraumatic distress and epigenetic marker identification could represent a new avenue for addressing women survivors toward resilience. This innovative approach in gender-based violence studies could identify new molecular pathways associated with the long-term effects of violence and implement innovative protocols of precision medicine.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2227-9032
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11020173
ID  - ref1
ER  -