Intermittent hypoxia and hypercapnia, a hallmark of obstructive sleep apnea, alters the gut microbiome and metabolome

comparison of mice with simulated sleep apnea and high fat diet The purpose of this research is to identify the role of gut microbiome and metabolome in the development of atherosclerotic lesions in sleep apnea patients. Sleep apnea has been associated with higher incidence of atherosclerosis (Lui and Sau-Man, 2012). Starting with preliminary experiments in LDLR mice, if we are able to identify bacterial and/or metabolite factors that drive the development of this condition under simulated sleep apnea conditions, we may be able to extend this study to a larger cohort of mice and ultimately to human cohorts. This is an unexplored domain in atherosclerosis research and has a potential to lead to novel approaches of intervention. There is evidence to suggest that transient bacteremia and/or leakage of bacterial products into the blood stream in people with severe periodontal disease exacerbates the development of atherosclerosis (Koren, et al. 2011) lending support to our hypothesis that disturbance of the gut microbiome may have a similar effect.