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Journal Article Review Epublish 12 citations

PubMed: 38339130 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031852

Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Associated Intermittent Hypoxia-Induced Immune Responses in Males, Pregnancies, and Offspring.

Int J Mol Sci 25(3)

Authors: Ruolin Song, Tracy L Baker, Jyoti J Watters, Sathish Kumar

Affiliations

  • Department of Comparative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
  • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53792, USA.

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a respiratory sleep disorder associated with cardiovascular diseases, is more prevalent in men. However, OSA occurrence in pregnant women rises to a level comparable to men during late gestation, creating persistent effects on both maternal and offspring health. The exact mechanisms behind OSA-induced cardiovascular diseases remain unclear, but inflammation and oxidative stress play a key role. Animal models using intermittent hypoxia (IH), a hallmark of OSA, reveal several pro-inflammatory signaling pathways at play in males, such as TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB/MAPK, miRNA/NLRP3, and COX signaling, along with shifts in immune cell populations and function. Limited evidence suggests similarities in pregnancies and offspring. In addition, suppressing these inflammatory molecules ameliorates IH-induced inflammation and tissue injury, providing new potential targets to treat OSA-associated cardiovascular diseases. This review will focus on the inflammatory mechanisms linking IH to cardiovascular dysfunction in males, pregnancies, and their offspring. The goal is to inspire further investigations into the understudied populations of pregnant females and their offspring, which ultimately uncover underlying mechanisms and therapeutic interventions for OSA-associated diseases.

MeSH

Pregnancy, Sleep Apnea, Obstructive, Sleep, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular System, Apnea, Hypoxia, Immunity, Sleep Apnea Syndromes

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