Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

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Experimental Biology and Medicine 232:1409-1413 (2007)
doi: 10.3181/0704-MR-103
© 2007 Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine

MINIREVIEW
Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Carlo Selmi*,{dagger}, Nicola Montano{dagger}, Raffaello Furlan{dagger}, Carl L. Keen{ddagger} and M. Eric Gershwin*,1

* Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616; {dagger} Division of Internal Medicine II, Department of Clinical Sciences ‘Luigi Sacco,’ University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy; and {ddagger} Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California 95616

To whom requests for reprints should be addressed at 1 Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California at Davis School of Medicine, Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility, 451 E Health Sciences Drive, Suite 6510, Davis, CA 95616. E-mail: megershwin@ucdavis.edu

Similar to obesity, with which it is closely associated, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is rapidly becoming a worldwide epidemic. Current knowledge of its pathogenesis has been significantly enriched by numerous experimental studies that have demonstrated an important role of oxidative stress and inflammation. Furthermore, new and exciting data strongly connect these two components in the perpetuation of the condition via the overexpression of nuclear factor {kappa}B. Experimental data support the hypothesis that nutrition might represent a promising future approach with antioxidants currently being good candidates for the modulation of cardiovascular sequelae, although weight reduction and controlled positive airway pressure remain the only established treatments for OSAS. We discuss herein the recent literature that illustrates these new paradigms and speculate on possible implications and future scenarios.

Key Words: intermittent hypoxia • reactive oxygen species • animal model • dietary supplement