Significance of vaspin in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a commonly-diagnosed chronic sleep disorder. It is considered to be an important independent risk factor in the development of insulin resistance (IR). Patients with OSAHS exhibit a variety of metabolic disorders, including obesity and metabolic syndrome. Visceral adipose tissue-derived serpin (vaspin) is an adipokine that is considered to be a link between obesity and IR. The present study aimed to evaluate the levels of plasma vaspin in patients with OSAHS and examine their potential correlation with sleep characteristics. A total of 20 healthy male subjects and 42 male patients with OSAHS were selected, and patients were divided into mild (n=22) and severe (n=20) OSAHS groups. The 20 patients in the severe OSAHS group received nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) treatment for 2 months. Venous blood samples were drawn from all patients in a fasting state prior to and subsequent to nCPAP treatment, which were used to measure the levels of biochemical indicators. The sleep parameters and serologic index changes were compared prior to and following treatment. The values of contractive pressure (SBP), neck circumference (NC), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI) and hip circumference (HC) in the two OSAHS groups were significantly increased compared with those in the control group. In addition, the levels of vaspin in OSAHS patients were markedly increased and vaspin was revealed to be positively associated with fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin, triglycerides, homeostasis model assessment-IR, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), NC, WC, BMI and WHR (P<0.05). After 2 months of nCPAP treatment, the SBP and AHI were significantly reduced. In conclusion, vaspin may have an important role in OSAHS patients with IR and treatment using nCPAP may improve the condition of OSAHS patients.