Background: The sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome is associated with elevated oxidative stress, which is associated with reduced levels and functional impairment of progenitor cells.
Objective: To evaluate whether one month of CPAP treatment affects circulating-progenitor-cell levels and oxidative stress in patients with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.
Methods: We enrolled 13 patients with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome who required nasal CPAP. We evaluated white-blood-cell oxidative stress and CD45-, CD34+, KDR+, and CD133+ cell levels via flow-cytometry, before and one month after CPAP treatment.
Results: Superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide were reduced, and markers of protection against oxidative stress were increased after CPAP. Progenitor-cell levels increased significantly after CPAP. There was a significant negative correlation between CD45-, CD34+, KDR+, and CD133+ cell levels and the severity of sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome and superoxide anion.
Conclusions: CD45-, CD34+, KDR+, and CD133+ cell levels rose significantly and reached values close to those in the control group after one month of CPAP. This change was accompanied by a significant decrease in oxidative stress, and no change in anthropometric or metabolic variables, including insulin resistance, weight, blood pressure, or lipid levels; consequently, the increase in progenitor-cell levels might be attributable to reduced oxidative stress.