Epigenetic modulation of Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission by inhibition of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase promotes vascular senescence and atherosclerosis

Vascular senescence, which is closely related to epigenetic regulation, is an early pathological condition in cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis. Inhibition of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) and the consequent increase of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), a potent inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase, has been associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate whether the inhibition of SAHH accelerates vascular senescence and the development of atherosclerosis.

SAHH inhibition epigenetically upregulates Drp1 expression through repressing DNA methylation in endothelial cells, leading to vascular senescence and atherosclerosis. These results identify SAHH or SAH as a potential therapeutic target for vascular senescence and cardiovascular diseases.

The case-control study related to vascular aging showed that increased levels of plasma SAH were positively associated with the risk of vascular aging, with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.90 (95% CI, 1.17-13.02). Elevated pulse wave velocity, impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation response, and increased senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining were observed in the artery of SAHH+/- mice at 32 weeks of age. Additionally, elevated expression of p16, p21, and p53, fission morphology of mitochondria, and over-upregulated expression of Drp1 were observed in vascular endothelial cells with SAHH inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Further downregulation of Drp1 using siRNA or its specific inhibitor, mdivi-1, restored the abnormal mitochondrial morphology and rescued the phenotypes of vascular senescence. Furthermore, inhibition of SAHH in APOE-/- mice promoted vascular senescence and atherosclerosis progression, which was attenuated by mdivi-1 treatment. Mechanistically, hypomethylation over the promoter region of DRP1 and downregulation of DNMT1 were demonstrated with SAHH inhibition in HUVECs. Conclusions: SAHH inhibition epigenetically upregulates Drp1 expression through repressing DNA methylation in endothelial cells, leading to vascular senescence and atherosclerosis. These results identify SAHH or SAH as a potential therapeutic target for vascular senescence and cardiovascular diseases.