Agmatine, telomerase and trace minerals levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a disease characterized by repetitive, partially or complete upper airway obstructions resulting in hypoxia and bioelectrical wakefulness reactions along with sleep. There is a limited and different information on the biochemical pathways that may determine harmful effects in OSAS patients with different disease severity. Hence, we aimed to estimate the plasma levels of polyamine agmatine, which has many effects on the central nervous system, telomerase and trace minerals in patients with OSAS. The study included 90 volunteer patients diagnosed with OSAS and divided into three groups of 30 people each according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) score: mild, moderate and severe. Nocturnal blood oxygen saturation percentage (SpO2) and body mass index (BMI) were measured. Plasma agmatine level was defined by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC), plasma trace elements (Cu, Co, Mg, Mo, Zn, Se) level by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) and serum telomerase level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. It was found that SpO2 value decreased as the disease progressed and showed a negative correlation with BMI, Co and Se plasma levels. The levels of agmatine and telomerase were shown to lower in patients with severe OSAS group compared to other groups. Keywords: agmatine, sleep apnea syndrome, SpO2, telomerase, trace minerals