Changes and clinical implications of the levels of serum NO and VEGF and HIF-1alpha in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the levels of nitrogen oxide (NO), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and to discuss their roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in patients with OSAHS.@*METHOD@#NO, VEGF and HIF-1alpha levels were measured in 60 OSAHS patients and 26 healthy subjects; OSAHS patients were divided into mild, moderate and severe groups according to AHI.@*RESULT@#NO levels in the moderate and severe OSAHS groups were significantly lower than that in the control group, but the levels of VEGF and HIF-la were increased compared with the control group (P 0.05); NO levels showed negative correlations with VEGF levels (P < 0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#The serum level of NO was reduced in response to the acceleration of hypoxia, while the level of VEGF was increased with the hypoxia. The results indicate that the levels of both NO and VEGF are associated with the severity of the disease. Decreasing NO levels and increasing VEGF are both the factors leading to endothelial dysfunction, which play an important role in the physiopathological process of the cardiovascular diseases in OSAHS patients.