Epigenetic regulations of hematopoietic stem cells ageing and the regulation of traditional Chinese medicine

Age-related defects in stem cells can limit proper tissue maintenance and hence contribute to a shortened lifespan. Given the essential role of a stem cell to self-renew, differentiate, and proliferate, it is no wonder that they are critically important to an organism during development and to tissue self-healing and regeneration. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), as one of adult stem cells, have been well characterized recently. However, the regulation mechanism of HSCs ageing remains unclear. Epigenetic alterations are now recognized as a hallmark of mammalian ageing and involved in HSCs ageing. In addition, recent studies showed that HSCs ageing is related to hematological malignancies. Therefore, epigenetic modifiers maybe novel targets for hematological malignancies therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat hematological malignancies for centuries. Here, we aim to review the current progress in the study of epigenetic changes regulating HSCs ageing, particularly focusing on the epigenome and its regulators in ageing HSCs. Furthermore, we will talk about the potential of TCM in treating hematological malignancies by regulating epigenetic changes.