Increased levels of circulating ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and L-selectin in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

• Published in: Journal of applied physiology (1985) Vol. 87; no. 1; pp. 10 - 14
• Main Authors: Ohga, Eijiro, Nagase, Takahide, Tomita, Tetsuji, Teramoto, Shinji, Matsuse, Takeshi, Katayama, Hirofumi, Ouchi, Yasuyoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Am Physiological Soc 01.07.1999; American Physiological Society
• Subjects: Adhesion; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Case-Control Studies; Humans; Hypoxia; Hypoxia - complications; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 - blood; L-Selectin - blood; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Models, Biological; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Risk Factors; Sleep - physiology; Sleep Apnea Syndromes - blood; Sleep Apnea Syndromes - complications; Sleep Apnea Syndromes - therapy; Sleep disorders; Stress; Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 - blood; Human; Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1; Sleep apnea syndrome; Pathophysiology; Intercellular adhesion molecule 1; Sleep disorder; Cardiovascular disease; Coronary heart disease; Obstruction; Stress; L Selectin; Ischemia; Etiology; Risk factor; Myocardium; ENT disease; Hypoxia
• ISSN: 8750-7587; 1522-1601
• DOI: 10.1152/jappl.1999.87.1.10

Department of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113, Japan Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) may be one of the most important risk factors of cardiovascular disorders, although the exact mechanism remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we hypothesized that OSAS-induced hypoxic stress might be involved in the etiology of cardiovascular disorders by activating adhesion molecules, including intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and L-selectin. To examine this hypothesis, we measured circulating ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and L-selectin levels before and after sleep in OSAS patients and age-matched controls. The circulating ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and L-selectin levels increased in the OSAS patients before sleep compared with the normal subjects (ICAM-1: 392.9 ± 48.5 vs. 201.2   ± 55.0 ng/ml, P  < 0.05; VCAM-1: 811.0 ± 87.8 vs. 574.2 ± 42.7   ng/ml, P  < 0.05; L-selectin: 1,386.6 ± 77.9 vs. 1,038.8 ± 78.6   ng/ml, P  < 0.01, respectively). After sleep, significantly greater levels of ICAM-1 and L-selectin, but not VCAM-1, were observed in the OSAS group. These observations suggest that OSAS-induced hypoxia activates adhesion molecules, resulting in the important risk factor of cardiovascular disorders. Treatment of OSAS can be, therefore, a potential approach to prevention of cardiovascular events. adhesion molecules; cardiovascular disorders; ischemic heart disease; desaturation index; hypoxic stress