Alteration of metabolic genes in peripheral blood isolated from patients with acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that molecular alterations of peripheral leucocytes are possible diagnostic markers of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Changed lipid/glucose metabolism is a prominent feature of the pathogenesis of AMI. Silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator factor-α (PGC-1α) regulate mitochondrial function and energy metabolism. Thus, the gene expression of SIRT1 and PGC-1α in peripheral leucocytes isolated from AMI patients and their association with dyslipidemia have been evaluated. Fifty-five male subjects were divided into 40 patients with AMI and 15 healthy control subjects. Peripheral blood samples were obtained on the first day of AMI. Lipid profile parameters were assessed spectrophotometrically. Relative SIRT1 and PGC-1α expression were measured by real-time PCR. Compared with the control group, SIRT1 and PGC-1α expression were significantly decreased in the AMI group. SIRT1 expression was significantly negatively correlated with the age of the participants. SIRT1 expression was significantly positively correlated with PGC-1α expression. Both SIRT1 and PGC-1α expression were negatively correlated with markers of dyslipidemia. In conclusion, SIRT1 and PGC-1α expression are reduced in the acute phase of AMI, which addresses their possible role as potential biomarkers for AMI.