Advanced glycation endproducts in nondiabetic patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
OBJECTIVE
The formation and accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) has been implicated in the progression of age-related diseases such as diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis. We hypothesize that AGE concentrations may be increased in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition associated with increased oxidative stress.


METHODS
One hundred nineteen nondiabetic patients with OSA and 234 age-matched healthy controls and 134 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited for participation in the study. Serum AGEs were assayed by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a polyclonal rabbit antisera raised against AGE-RNase.


RESULTS
Serum AGEs were increased in OSA subjects, as compared with controls, but were less increased than the AGEs of patients with type 2 diabetes (control: 3.22 +/- 0.54 unit per mL; OSA: 3.68 +/- 0.39; diabetes mellitus: 4.11 +/- 0.99; analysis of variance p < .01). In the subjects with OSA, serum AGEs correlated with the duration of nocturnal desaturation (r = 0.21, p = .025) and plasma total 8-isoprostane concentration, a biochemical marker of oxidative stress (r = 0.22, p = .015), but not with fasting glucose level. On general linear model univariate analysis, the association between serum AGEs and 8-isoprostane was independent of age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, and glucose.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum levels of AGEs were increased in nondiabetic subjects with OSA and were associated with the severity of OSA. Whether increased AGE formation contributes significantly to the high cardiovascular risk associated with OSA remains to be determined.
Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. kcbtan@hkucc.hku.hk
Kathryn C B
KC
Tan
Wing-Sun
WS
Chow
Jamie C M
JC
Lam
Bing
B
Lam
Richard
R
Bucala
John
J
Betteridge
Mary S M
MS
Ip
D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced