Dietary restriction in the epigenomic regulation of cardiovascular diseases

Abstract

Abstract Most cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are age-related diseases. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors increases with age and cardiovascular aging contributes to the development of CVDs. Mounting evidence has demonstrated that dietary restriction (DR), a nutritional anti-aging intervention, confers cardiovascular protection and may decrease morbidity and mortality of CVDs. The mechanisms underlying the beneficial cardiovascular effects of DR are multifaceted, but recent investigations reveal that DR triggers an active defense response against stress. At the center of this response are cardiovascular protective signals, which include the mammalian target of rapamycin, AMP-activated kinase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and NAD+-dependent deacetylases called sirtuins. Among them, sirtuins play two important roles: epigenomic regulation and post-translational modification. However, epigenomic regulation of the cardiovascular system by DR has not been fully clarified. In this chapter, we discuss the molecular mechanisms by which DR confers cardiovascular protection and the possible involvement of sirtuins in epigenomic regulation.