Involvement of sirtuin 1 in airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness of allergic airway disease

Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by increased expression of multiple inflammatory genes. Acetylation of histones by histone acetyltransferases is associated with increased gene transcription, whereas hypoacetylation induced by histone deacetylases is associated with suppression of gene expression. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a member of the silent information regulator 2 family that belongs to class III histone deacetylase.

This study aimed to investigate the role of SIRT1 and the related molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of allergic airway disease.

By using a murine model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic airway disease and murine tracheal epithelial cells, this study investigated the involvement of SIRT1 and its signaling networks in allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness.

In this study with mice after inhalation of OVA, the increased levels of SIRT1, hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha), and vascular endothelial growth factor protein in the lungs after OVA inhalation were decreased substantially by the administration of a SIRT1 inhibitor, sirtinol. We also showed that the administration of sirtinol reduced significantly the increased numbers of inflammatory cells of the airways; airway hyperresponsiveness; increased levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13; and increased vascular permeability in the lungs after OVA inhalation. In addition, we have found that inhibition of SIRT1 reduced OVA-induced upregulation of HIF-1alpha in airway epithelial cells.

These results indicate that inhibition of SIRT1 might attenuate antigen-induced airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness through the modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor expression mediated by HIF-1alpha in mice.