Importantly, overexpression of myocardial SIRT1 alleviated cardiac dysfunction and myocardial injury (as evidenced by increased ±LV dP/dtmax and decreased serum CK-MB/LDH activities, myocardial infarction and cardiomyocyte apoptosis) in diabetic rats to the extent as in non-diabetic animals subjected to MI/R, suggesting that cardiac specific up-regulation of SIRT1 is sufficient to reduce myocardial susceptibility to I/R injury in diabetic rats. The gene discussed is SIRT1; the disease is myocardial infarction.