Evaluation of Sirtuin1 promoter DNA methylation in peripheral blood monocytes of patients with coronary artery disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide. The Sirt1 gene, a histone deacetylase, is a significant element in CAD by playing anti-aging, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory roles. One of the regulators of Sirt1 gene expression is DNA methylation which is the most important epigenetics regulators in CAD. The aim of the present study was the methylation status assessment of Sirt1 promoter in CAD patients in Kerman, southeastern Iran. In this study, 61 individuals as patient group and 29 individuals as control group were participated. The DNA was extracted from isolated monocytes. Then, DNA methylation level was investigated by the methylation specific high resolution melting (MS-HRM) technique and the significance level was analyzed by t-test. The results showed that both groups were rarely methylated. Indeed, a wide range of individuals showed approximately 25% methylation level. Our data indicates that there was no relation between Sirt1 promoter methylation level and CAD (P-Value = 0.664). According to our results, methylation of this gene did not appear to be correlated with CAD, so the methylation status of Sirt1 does not seem to be an informative biomarker for CAD patients. Better characterization of related genes in CAD cases such as Sirt1 can help to proper treatment strategies. •Sirt1 is a key regulator in atherosclerosis.•The expression of Sirt1 is reduced in CAD.•One of the regulatory mechanisms of Sirt1 gene is DNA methylation.•DNA methylation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of CAD.•There is not a significant difference in Sirt1 gene methylation level between CADs and controls.