Suppression of SIRT1 in Diabetic Conditions Induces Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells via RUNX2 Signalling

Vascular calcification is associated with significant morbidity and mortality within diabetes, involving activation of osteogenic regulators and transcription factors. Recent evidence demonstrates the beneficial role of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), an NAD+ dependant deacetylase, in improved insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis, linking hyperglycaemia and SIRT1 downregulation. This study aimed to determine the role of SIRT1 in vascular smooth muscle cell (vSMC) calcification within the diabetic environment. An 80% reduction in SIRT1 levels was observed in patients with diabetes, both in serum and the arterial smooth muscle layer, whilst both RUNX2 and Osteocalcin levels were elevated. Human vSMCs exposed to hyperglycaemic conditions in vitro demonstrated enhanced calcification, which was positively associated with the induction of cellular senescence, verified by senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity and cell cycle markers p16 and p21. Activation of SIRT1 by SRT1720 reduced Alizarin red staining by a third, via inhibition of the RUNX2 pathway and prevention of senescence. Conversely, inhibition of SIRT1 via Sirtinol and siRNA increased RUNX2 by over 50%. These findings demonstrate the key role that SIRT1 plays in preventing calcification in a diabetic environment, through the inhibition of RUNX2 and senescence pathways, suggesting a downregulation of SIRT1 may be responsible for perpetuating vascular calcification in diabetes

Observation of Light-Induced Reactions of Olefin–Ozone Complexes in Cryogenic Matrices Using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Each olefin (ethylene, trans-1,3-butadiene, isoprene, dimethyl butadiene (DMB)) and ozone molecules were codeposited on a CsI window at cryogenic temperature, and the products of photolysis with ultraviolet–visible light were observed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The products of the C2H4–O3 system could be assigned to glyoxal (CHO–CHO), ethylene oxide (c–C2H4O), CO, and CO2. The formation of CHO–CHO and c–C2H4 and the absence of H2CO and HCOOH indicated that the main reaction channels did not involve C–C bond breaking. Based on this simple scheme, the photoproducts of different olefin–O3 systems were assigned, and the vibrational features predicted by density functional theory calculations were compared with the observed spectra. Regarding butadiene, spectral matches between the observations and calculations seemed reasonable, while assignments for isoprene ambiguities of and DMB remain, mainly because of the limited availability of authentic sample spectra