Abstract
There is growing evidence that obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) influences the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis (HPG axis) in men. The aim of the study was to assess the association of nesfatin-1 with HPG axis disturbances in OSA. This is a prospective study with consecutive enrolment. It comprises 72 newly diagnosed OSA patients ((AHI: apnoea-hypopnea index) 18 subjects: 5 ≤ AHI < 15; 24: 15 ≤ AHI < 30; 30: AHI ≥ 30) and a control group composed of 19 patients (AHI < 5). All patients underwent polysomnography and fasting blood collection for nesfatin-1, testosterone, luteinising hormone (LH), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine and glucose. Groups had similar levels of LH, nesfatin-1 and testosterone (p = 0.87; p = 0.24; p = 0.08). Nesfatin-1 was not correlated to LH (p = 0.71), testosterone (p = 0.38), AHI (p = 0.34) or the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) (p = 0.69) either in the whole group, or in sub-groups. The study did not reveal any association between the HPG axis and nesfatin-1 in OSA adult males. It is possible that nesfatin-1 is not a mediator of HPG axis disturbances in adult patients with OSA.
Highlights
obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterised by repetitive collapsing of the upper respiratory tract during sleep
Nesfatin-1 is an anorexigenic peptide created from nucleobinding-2 peptide (NUCB2), which is the Nucb[2] gene product
Our study aimed to investigate the potential role of anti-inflammatory protein nesfatin-1 as a mediator of HPG axis disturbances in OSA
Summary
OSA is characterised by repetitive collapsing of the upper respiratory tract during sleep. A few studies have concentrated on investigating functional connections between NUCB2/nesfatin-1 and sleep. In a study by Shen et al, NUCB2/nesfatin-1 was negatively correlated with the severity of OSA, BMI and waist-hip ratio[12]. Low testosterone levels may disturb sleep and promote OSA. It is possible that OSA and obesity lead to inflammation and decreases in testosterone levels[4,5]. Our study aimed to investigate the potential role of anti-inflammatory protein nesfatin-1 as a mediator of HPG axis disturbances in OSA. To the best of our knowledge, there have not currently been any studies concerning possible interactions between nesfatin-1 levels and the HGP axis in human males with OSA
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