SCUBE-1 Levels and Their Relationship with Endothelial Dysfunction in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Patients

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) increases the risk of vascular dysfunction by causing hypoxemia due to recurrent obstructions in the upper airway. This can put pressure on the vasculature and impair endothelial function. SCUBE-1 gains importance in OSAS as a biomarker that may reflect this dysfunction. We focused in this study on the association between levels of SCUBE-1 and endothelial dysfunction in patients suffering from OSAS.

A study population of 75 individuals participated in the study. Participants were categorized as normal (n=18), mild OSAS (n=22), moderate OSAS (n=19) and severe OSAS (n=16) according to polysomnography findings. Evaluation parameters included SCUBE-1 levels, polysomnography measurements, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and comprehensive laboratory analyses.

SCUBE-1 levels were significantly higher in the severe OSAS group (15.8 ± 4.2 ng/mL, p<0.001). SCUBE-1 showed a moderate negative correlation with FMD (r = -0.248, p < 0.001) and a significant negative correlation with CIMT (r = -0.512, p < 0.001). ROC analysis demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy (AUC: 0.871, 95% CI: 0.797-0.945) for SCUBE-1 in identifying severe OSAS.

OSAS severity correlates with the rise in SCUBE-1 levels, and this biomarker may serve as an important attribute in profiling endothelial dysfunction. SCUBE-1 can indeed be an effective biomarker to identify subtle changes in the vascular biology of OSAS patients and aid early interventions.