Emerging role of metabolomics for biomarker discovery in obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by the complete or partial blockage of the upper airway passage during sleep which causes repetitive breaks in sleep and may result in excessive daytime sleepiness. OSA has been linked to various metabolic disorders and chronic health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and depression. Profiling of alterations in metabolites and their regulation in OSA has been hypothesized to be an effective approach for early diagnosis and prognosis of OSA. Several studies have characterized metabolic fingerprints associated with sleep disorders. There is a lack of understanding of metabolite contents and their alterations in OSA that may help to identify specific biomarkers. The information provided in this review will help update new methodologies and interventions of high throughput advanced molecular/metabolomics tools which may clarify the metabolic aspects and mechanisms for improved management and treatment of OSA.