Decreased expression of sirtuin 6 is associated with release of high mobility group box-1 after cerebral ischemia

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) belongs to the sirtuin family of NAD(+)-dependent deacetylases and has been implicated in the regulation of metabolism, inflammation, and aging. Here, we found that SIRT6 was predominantly expressed in neuronal cells throughout the entire brain. Ischemia models using transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats and oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD) in SH-SY5Y neuronal cells showed that ischemia reduced SIRT6 expression and induced the release of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) from cell nuclei. The reduced expression of SIRT6 via treatment with SIRT6 siRNA dramatically enhanced the OGD-induced release of HMGB1 in SH-SY5Y cells. Together, our data suggest that SIRT6 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for HMGB1-mediated inflammation after cerebral ischemia.