As one of the serious complications of diabetes melitus, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the major causes of blindness.It is urgent to figure out the mechanism of DR and identify an effective therapeutic target to prevent it.Sirtuins is a major catabolic pathway involved in degrading and recycling damaged organelles and macromolecules to maintain intracellular homeostasis.The study of Sirtuins in mammalian systems has been advancing rapidly and revealed that Sirtuins is involved in the pathogenesis of various metabolic and age-related diseases.The study of Sirtuins in such diseases as tumors, diabetic nephropathy, has been currently under intense investigation.Moreover, there is also a close relationship between Sirtuins and DR related factors including hypoxia, oxidative stress, inflammation, and so on.In this paper, recent research progress in Sirtuins and its application in DR are reviewed, so as to provide a new perspective on pathogenesis and therapy of DR.

Diabetic retinopathy; Sirtuins; Hypoxia; Oxidative stress; Inflammation