Gasotransmitters may just be the key we were looking for to open a new door for sleep apnea treatments. New information has shown that an unbalance in communication between by two molecules may contribute to sleep apnea. More than 10 million people in the United States suffer from sleep apnea. Developing additional treatment techniques can help ease or eliminate symptoms for more of these individuals.

Current sleep apnea treatments have limited benefits. Correcting the problem on a molecular level may just be the option so many people are looking for. Science Daily has released information on these new findings:

“We believe we have found an approach that could significantly improve the clinical management of sleep apneas by restoring the balance between two key gasotransmitters in the blood — carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide,” said Nanduri Prabhakar, PhD, the Harold Hines Jr. Professor of Medicine and Director of the Institute for Integrative Physiology and Center for Systems Biology of O2 at the University of Chicago.

What Are Gasotransmitters?

Gasotransmitters are gaseous molecules that transmit chemical signals to cause various functions. When the signals between the two gasotransmitters that regulate breathing are unbalanced it leads to sleep apnea episodes. A team has been studying these findings and identified how sleep apnea occurs on a molecular level:

Prabhakar and colleagues from the University of Chicago, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston), and Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore), focused on the carotid bodies, a tiny cluster of cells embedded in the left and right carotid arteries, which pass through the neck.

The carotid bodies are the primary organ for sensing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in arterial blood. Glomus cells in the carotid bodies produce the enzymes heme oxygenase 2 (HO-2), which generates carbon monoxide (CO) when oxygen levels are appropriate, and CSE, which generates hydrogen sulfide (H2S) when oxygen levels dip.

During normal breathing during sleep, CO prevents the production of H2S by inhibiting CSE. When apnea begins and oxygen levels drop, however, CSE produces H2S, which stimulates the carotid bodies to increase breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. This leads to a sudden awakening.

This is a huge step forward in the study of sleep apnea. Now that the molecular problem has been detected, new treatments can be researched, tested, and evaluated.

Manipulating Gasotransmitters

The team worked together to find a way to influence the gasotransmitters. They used mice in their studies in hopes that the technology could one day help people. Thankfully, they did find a way to restore normal breathing among the test subjects.

Prabhakar and colleagues tested two ways to manipulate this system by modulating the enzymes, CSE and HO-2, involved in CB signaling. When they gave a CSE inhibitor, L-propargyl glycine (L-PAG) by injection or by mouth to mice lacking HO-2 or rats predisposed to heightened CB activity — it reduced the frequency of apnea, underscoring the role of H2S in triggering apnea.

The response to L-PAG was “rapid, reversible, and did not result in overt toxicity within the dose range tested,” the investigators wrote. Conversely, administering CORM3, a compound that releases carbon monoxide gas, to HO-2 deficient mice, restored normal breathing within 10 minutes. Notably, L-PAG reduced the number of both obstructive and central apneas in a dose-dependent and reversible manner.

These findings are exciting for anyone who suffers from sleep apnea. This means that a therapeutic treatment option for sleep apnea in humans may be on the horizon. However, the dose require to normalize breathing in humans is quite high. Additional studies must be completed in order to develop and test these inhibitors. Despite the need for more studies, this information is quite exciting.

“Nonetheless,” they conclude, “pharmacologic modulation of the CB chemoreflex by an inhibitor of H2S synthesis, as shown in the present study, has the potential to significantly improve the clinical management of sleep apnea.”

The Importance of Treating Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea wreaks havoc on our bodies and our minds. Any opportunity to advance our knowledge about the sleeping disorder is important. The most common current treatment method is the use of a CPAP machine. However, this treatment option doesn’t work for everyone. If doctors are able to offer more options to sleep apnea patients then more people will seek treatment for the condition.

It’s extremely important to seek treatment if you are suffering from sleep apnea. The sleeping disorder can cause permanent damage to your heart, mind, and body if left untreated. However, these effects can often be reversed, reduced, or eliminated with treatment.

If you or a loved one exhibit the symptoms of sleep apnea then speak with your doctor. Early diagnosis is the key to preventing worsening symptoms. Your doctor will be able to advise you of all treatment options currently available. Follow your treatment plan for the best results.

Call Mark Levy DDS at (614) 777-7350 for more information about the latest treatment options for sleep apnea including updates on regulating gasotransmitters.