Sirtuins and Their Role in the Aging Eye (Review)

Visual impairment in elderly people is a serious problem that significantly affects the quality of life of millions people around the world. The magnitude of this problem is becoming increasingly apparent as the population ages and the number of older people increases. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the third leading cause of blindness worldwide and the main cause of vision loss in people over 60 years. It is expected that AMD will affect about 288 million people by 2040. AMD is a multifactorial disease with a progressive course. The arised dystrophic changes in the retina cannot be reversed by any of the known treatment methods. A lot of research and effort has already been invested in identifying various biomarkers for predicting the incidence rate, identifying people at risk, finding out the pathogenetic mechanisms of this disease, and finding effective methods of treatment and prevention.

Aging is the basis of pathological changes that occur during AMD. Aging biomarkers are measurable vital signs that qualitatively and quantitatively change with the age of the body. DNA methylation is a molecular mechanism that is a potential biomarker of aging. Sirtuins indirectly participate in this process, regulating the activity of the DNMT1 enzyme. The article discusses current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the action of sirtuins (Sirtuins / SIRT), with an emphasis on SIRT1. Analysis of the pathophysiological action of sirtuins can affect the prevention and treatment of pathological eye changes associated with AMD. The article provides literature sources containing the results of studies of the effect of SIRT1 as a marker of aging in body tissues. SIRT1 is an attractive candidate for developing therapeutic strategies preventing early eye aging, in particular, age-associated diseases such as AMD The impact on the genetic mechanisms of this disease is a promising direction in treatment.