Work

Role of histone post-translational modifications in preeclampsia: from pathogenesis to diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder that poses a severe risk to maternal and fetal health. Owing to its incompletely elucidated pathogenesis, there is a lack of etiology-targeted therapeutic approaches in clinical practice, and pregnancy termination remains the primary intervention for PE. Emerging evidence indicates that histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs), a crucial class of epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, are extensively involved in the key pathological processes of PE by dynamically remodeling chromatin structures and regulating gene transcription. These processes include trophoblast dysfunction, placental vascular homeostasis dysregulation, immune-inflammatory disturbances, and endothelial dysfunction. In this review, we summarized the regulatory roles of HPTMs, such as methylation, acetylation, lactylation, citrullination, and ubiquitination, in PE pathogenesis. In addition, we discussed the potential and limitations of HPTMs and key modifying enzymes as candidate therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers of PE. Overall, this review aims to summarize the reported roles of HPTMs in PE pathogenesis and examine promising diagnostic and therapeutic strategies from HPTMs perspective.

Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology

DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2026.1973542

Authors: Yuanxuan Ma, Renwei Zhang, Mengting Yang, Jingli Wang, Bo Hou, Shiguo Liu

Institutions: Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Peking University People's Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies

Subfield: Obstetrics and Gynecology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801