Emerging role of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) in hepatocellular carcinoma: a potential therapeutic target

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent neoplasms worldwide, ranking as the second leading cause of cancer-related death due to its high invasive and metastatic potential. SIRT1 (silent information regulator 1), a member of mammalian sirtuin family protein (SIRT1–SIRT7), functions as a conserved nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)+-dependent deacetylase to implicate in the modulation of transcriptional silencing and cell survival. Recently, except for the regulatory role of SIRT1 in various biological processes, the carcinogenesis effect of SIRT1 was revealed in HCC. Importantly, SIRT1 was confirmed to be involved in tumorigenesis, metastasis, prognosis, and chemical resistant of HCC, as a result of its deacetylation of oncogenic or tumor suppressor factors. The focus of this review was to delineate the carcinogenesis effects of SIRT1 on HCC and present an overview of SIRT1 functions in normal liver followed by SIRT1 roles in HCC, with focus on the underlying molecular mechanism to promote SIRT1 as a new therapeutic target for HCC.