23.12.2022Serum levels of sirtuin 6 predict mortality after acute ischaemic stroke

In this original work, Liberale and Ministrini et al. aimed at evaluating the prognostic value of serum SIRT6 levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). To that end, serum levels of SIRT6 were measured in 317 consecutively enrolled AIS patients from the COSMOS cohort. The primary endpoint of this analysis was 90-day mortality. The independent prognostic value of SIRT6 was assessed using multivariable-adjusted logistic and Cox proportional regression models. 35 patients (11%) deceased within 90-day follow-up. Of note, after adjustment for established risk factors (age, NIHSS, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and C reactive protein), SIRT6 levels were negatively associated with mortality. The optimal cut-off for survival was 634 pg/mL. Patients with SIRT6 levels below this threshold had a higher risk of death in multivariable Cox regression. In this pilot study, SIRT6 levels were significantly associated with 90-day mortality after AIS; these results build on previous molecular and causal observations made in animal models. Hence, SIRT6 could be a potential prognostic predictor and may open novel therapeutic avenues in AIS.