Impact of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on serum and plasma S100B concentrations: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies with experimental validation
Year: 2026
Type: review
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: Background Obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is the most prevalent type of sleep apnea. S100B, an astrocyte-derived calcium-binding protein, has been reported to be associated with OSAHS, but the relationship between circulating S100B levels and OSAHS has not been systematically evaluated. Objective To systematically evaluate the effect of OSAHS on serum/plasma S100B levels through a meta-analysis of observational studies, and to explore the potential mechanism of S100B in OSAHS by combining bioinformatic analysis of visceral adipose tissue with experimental validation in human preadipocytes. Methods A broad literature retrieval was carried out using several databases, including the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang Data, PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), and Web of Science, to evaluate serum S100B levels in healthy control subjects and in patients with OSAHS. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. A random-effects model was applied, using standardized mean differences (SMDs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and analyses were performed with STATA version 11.0. The GSE38792 expression profiles were sourced from the GEO database. R software was employed to analyze the expression levels of S100B messenger RNA (mRNA) from the visceral adipose tissue of healthy participants and patients with OSAHS to determine whether S100B mRNA levels differed between the 2 groups. Human preadipocytes were utilized to examine the modulation of S100B under intermittent hypoxia. The protocol was registered in International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (registration ID: CRD42024539832). Results Serum S100B levels were higher in patients with OSAHS than in control subjects (SMD = 1.57, 95% CI = 0.95–2.19, P < 0.001), although the very high heterogeneity ( I ² = 95.6%) indicates that this estimate should be regarded as an uncertain average effect rather than a reliable point estimate. We additionally categorized the participants into subgroups based on their age, ethnicity, type of research, and body mass index to facilitate the meta-analysis. In a single exploratory study, plasma S100B levels were also higher (SMD = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.21–2.28, P < 0.001); this finding requires confirmation. Preliminary bioinformatic analysis of a single GEO dataset suggested that visceral adipose tissue from individuals with OSAHS expressed higher S100B mRNA compared with control subjects. The findings of the experiment showed that in human preadipocytes, intermittent hypoxia significantly increased the expression of S100B. Moreover, preliminary in vitro experiments in a single cell line suggested that S100B may contribute to the phosphorylation of p65 and IκBα, findings that are hypothesis-generating and require further validation. Conclusion Serum S100B was elevated in OSAHS patients, but the pooled estimate should be interpreted as an uncertain average effect; S100B should be considered only a candidate biomarker requiring validation in larger, prospective cohorts. The plasma finding (one study) is exploratory; the bioinformatic results are preliminary. S100B may be involved in intermittent hypoxia-induced adipose inflammatory responses.
Source: Current Proteomics
Authors: Lan Ke, Yaju Deng, Jie He, Jiaqing Jiang, Guiyu Zhou, Yu Li
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Award: G9000362946
OpenAlex ID: W7212520013