SIRT1 regulates accumulation of oxidized LDL in HUVEC via the autophagy-lysosomal pathway

Autophagy is involved in the degradation of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), a new anti-atherosclerotic factor, can induce autophagy in cardiac myocytes. In the present study, we observed the effect of SIRT1 on the accumulation of ox-LDL in HUVECs, and elucidated whether its effect is relative with the autophagy-lysosomal pathway. The results showed that treatment with either SIRT1 siRNA or SIRT1 inhibitor nicotinamide (NAM) increased Dil-labelled-ox-LDL (Dil-ox-LDL) accumulation in HUVECs, and the SIRT1 inducer resveratrol (RSV) decreased it. Knockdown of autophagy-related protein 5 or inhibit the lysosomal degradation by chloroquine (CQ) decreased the effect of RSV. In HUVECs with ox-LDL, expression of LC3II and LC3 puncta was decreased by treatment with SIRT1 siRNA or NAM, but increased by RSV treatment; sequestosome 1 p62 expression showed the opposite effects. Moreover, Dil-ox-LDL combined with SIRT1 siRNA or NAM showed a much smaller degree of overlap of Lamp1 or Cathepsin D with Dil-ox-LDL than in cells with Dil-ox-LDL alone, and RSV treatment resulted in a greater degree of overlap. These results suggest that SIRT1 can decrease the accumulation of ox-LDL in HUVECs, and this effect is related to the autophagy-lysosomal pathway.