The rat cerebral vasculature exhibits time-of-day-dependent oscillations in circadian clock genes and vascular function that are attenuated following obstructive sleep apnea.

ABSTRACT: Circadian clock components oscillate in cells of the cardiovascular system. Disruption of these oscillations has been observed in cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesized that obstructive sleep apnea, which is associated with cerebrovascular diseases, disrupts the cerebrovascular circadian clock and rhythms in vascular function. Apneas were produced in rats during sleep. Following two weeks of sham or obstructive sleep apnea, cerebral arteries were isolated over 24 h for mRNA and functional analysis. mRNA expression of clock genes exhibited 24-h rhythms in cerebral arteries of sham rats (p < 0.05). Interestingly, peak expression of clock genes was significantly lower following obstructive sleep apnea (p < 0.05). Obstructive sleep apnea did not alter clock genes in the heart, or rhythms in

SUBMITTER: Durgan DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5536790 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature