The Role of Sirtuins in Improving Cardiovascular Function and the Prevention of Aging

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease increases with age, driven by processes of inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Delaying the cascade caused by these risk factors will be essential to reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in our aging population. Sirtuins are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylase enzymes involved in metabolic regulation that show promise in attenuating these disease processes and increasing longevity. This review will examine the role of sirtuins at the cellular level in relation to cardiovascular health and discuss their potential as novel therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis, heart failure, and metabolic syndrome.