THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA AND ITS COMORBIDITIES WITH THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOME: INTERFACE WITH SEXUALITY AND REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION

• Grant number: 25/00662-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Monica Levy Andersen
• Grantee: José Marcos Sanches Junior
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/13467-8 - The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and its comorbidities with the intestinal microbiome: interface with sexuality and reproductive function, AP.TEM

Abstract

Poor sleep quality is closely linked to comorbidities in several organic systems. Among sleep disorders, there has been a recent increase in the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the population, especially in men. The intermittent hypoxia resulting from OSA can produce physiopathological symptoms, including the impairment of reproductive function, especially in relation to erectile dysfunction (ED) and changes to the hormonal profile that can have a negative impact on the spermatogenic process; and modifications in the gastrointestinal microbiota that can result in a state of dysbiosis, which has also been reported to have a harmful effect on reproductive health. Given these complex biological interrelationships, this thematic project aims to study the impact of OSA on reproductive function and investigate correlations with the gastrointestinal microbiome, both in human subjects and in animal models. Groups of men with or without OSA, treated or not with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, will be compared, and the influence of OSA on reproductive function, either directly or through changes in the gastrointestinal microbiota, will be investigated via hormonal, seminal, genomic, and enteric exosomes analyses. We believe the results of this project will serve as basis for the development of new diagnostic tools in relation to OSA, human fertility and the gastrointestinal microbiota, besides substantially expanding our understanding of the physiopathological interrelations between these topics. The project will also provide evidence to support the development of new therapeutic measures directed to male fertility, including ED, and to the treatment of OSA.