Correction of intermittent hypoxia reduces inflammation in obese subjects with obstructive sleep apnea

In obese subjects with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) may be linked to systemic and adipose tissue inflammation.

We obtained abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies from OSA and non-OSA obese (BMI > 35) subjects at baseline and after 24 weeks (T1) of weight-loss intervention plus continuous positive airway pressure (c-PAP) or weight-loss intervention alone, respectively. OSA subjects were grouped according to good (therapeutic) or poor (subtherapeutic) adherence to c-PAP.

At baseline, anthropometric and metabolic parameters, serum cytokines, and adipose tissue mRNA levels of obesity-associated chemokines and inflammatory markers were not different in OSA and non-OSA subjects. At T1, body weight was significantly reduced in all groups. Serum concentrations of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, MCP-1, PDGFβ, and VEGFα were reduced by therapeutic c-PAP in OSA subjects and remained unaltered in non-OSA and subtherapeutic c-PAP groups. Similarly, adipose tissue mRNA levels of macrophage-specific (CD68, CD36) and ER stress (ATF4, CHOP, ERO-1) gene markers, as well as of IL-6, PDGFβ, and VEGFα, were decreased only in the therapeutic c-PAP group.

CIH does not represent an additional factor increasing systemic and adipose tissue inflammation in morbid obesity. However, in subjects with OSA, an effective c-PAP therapy improves systemic and obesity-associated inflammatory markers.

Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca and Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale.