Cardiovascular and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Sharing common ground through SIRT1 pathways

As a non-communicable disease, cardiovascular disorders have become the leading cause of death for men and women. Of additional concern is that cardiovascular disease is linked to chronic comorbidity disorders that include nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD, also termed metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, is the greatest cause of liver disease throughout the world, increasing in prevalence concurrently with diabetes mellitus (DM), and can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis that leads to cirrhosis and liver fibrosis. Individuals with metabolic disorders, such as DM, are more than two times likely to experience cardiac disease, stroke, and liver disease that includes NAFLD when compared individuals without metabolic disorders. Interestingly, cardiovascular disorders and NAFLD share a common underlying cellular mechanism for disease pathology, namely the silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1; Saccharomyces cerevisiae). SIRT1, a histone deacetylase, is linked to metabolic pathways through nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and can offer cellular protection though multiple avenues, including trophic factors such as erythropoietin, stem cells, and AMP-activated protein kinase. Translating SIRT1 pathways into clinical care for cardiovascular and hepatic disease can offer significant hope for patients, but further insights into the complexity of SIRT1 pathways are necessary for effective treatment regimens.