When the Virus Leaves But the Lock Stays: Post-Viral Epigenetic Silencing in Gut Dysfunction and… — section

This article proposes a mechanistic framework — grounded in established molecular biology and emerging epigenomics — for why some post-viral gut syndromes represent not a microbiome problem, not an immune problem in isolation, but a chromatin-level gene expression lock that prevents the restoration of normal colonocyte metabolic identity. And it examines the theoretical basis for why a pharmacological agent — valproic acid (VPA), an antiepileptic drug — may represent a conceptual bridge toward resolving such a lock.