Excessive daytime sleepiness is associated with changes in salivary inflammatory genes transcripts

Area of Science:

• Biomarkers
• Sleep Medicine
• Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) poses significant public health and safety risks.
• Objective, noninvasive methods are needed to identify individuals with inadequate sleep.
• Previous research indicated elevated inflammatory genes in saliva due to sleep deprivation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if inflammatory genes are elevated in clinical populations with EDS.
• To assess the feasibility of using salivary transcript levels as a biomarker for EDS.

Main Methods:

• Salivary samples were collected from patients with sleep apnea.
• The Taqman low-density inflammation array was used to analyze gene expression.
• Transcript levels of inflammatory genes, including PTGS2, were quantified.

Main Results:

• Three genes, including prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), showed elevated transcript levels in patients with sleep apnea.
• PTGS2 levels were also elevated in patients with EDS who did not have sleep apnea.
• Salivary transcript levels correlated with self-reported EDS.

Conclusions:

• Salivary gene expression analysis is a feasible method for identifying individuals with EDS.
• Elevated PTGS2 in saliva may serve as a potential biomarker for EDS.
• This approach offers a noninvasive and objective tool for diagnosing sleepiness.