title: Mitochondrial DNA alteration in obstructive sleep apnea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSAS) is a disease associated with the increase of cardiovascular risk and it is characterized by repeated episodes of Intermittent Hypoxia (IH) which inducing oxidative stress and systemic inflammation. Mitochondria are cell organelles involved in the respiratory that have their own DNA (MtDNA). The aim of this study was to investigate if the increase of oxidative stress in OSAS patients can induce also MtDNA alterations.
  
  
  METHODS
  46 OSAS patients (age 59.27 ± 11.38; BMI 30.84 ± 3.64; AHI 36.63 ± 24.18) were compared with 36 control subjects (age 54.42 ± 6.63; BMI 29.06 ± 4.7; AHI 3.8 ± 1.10). In blood cells Content of MtDNA and nuclear DNA (nDNA) was measured in OSAS patients by Real Time PCR. The ratio between MtDNA/nDNA was then calculated. Presence of oxidative stress was evaluated by levels of Reactive Oxygen Metabolites (ROMs), measured by diacron reactive oxygen metabolite test (d-ROM test).
  
  
  RESULTS
  MtDNA/nDNA was higher in patients with OSAS than in the control group (150.94 ± 49.14 vs 128.96 ± 45.8; p = 0.04), the levels of ROMs were also higher in OSAS subjects (329.71 ± 70.17 vs 226 ± 36.76; p = 0.04) and they were positively correlated with MtDNA/nDNA (R = 0.5, p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In OSAS patients there is a Mitochondrial DNA damage induced by the increase of oxidative stress. Intermittent hypoxia seems to be the main mechanism which leads to this process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Foggia, Viale degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy. donatolacedonia@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lacedonia
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Foggia, Viale degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy. giovannaelisiana.carpagnano@unifg.it.
authors.forename: Giovanna E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Carpagnano
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Foggia, Viale degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy. crisettielisabetta@libero.it.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crisetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Foggia, Viale degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy. grazia.cotugno@unifg.it.
authors.forename: Grazia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cotugno
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Foggia, Viale degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy. adellica@libero.it.
authors.forename: Grazia P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Palladino
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Foggia, Viale degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy. giulia.patricelli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Patricelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Foggia, Viale degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy. robsabato@libero.it.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sabato
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Foggia, Viale degli Aviatori, Foggia, 71100, Italy. mariapia.foschino@unifg.it.
authors.forename: Maria P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Foschino Barbaro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004249:DNA Damage; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000097:blood; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species