Lingling Wang,1 Huiguo Liu,1 Ling Zhou,1 Pengdou Zheng,1 Hai Li,2,3 Huojun Zhang,4,* Wei Liu2,3,* 

1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Health Ministry, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 3Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Huojun Zhang, Email hjzhang@whu.edu.cn; Wei Liu, Email 404793938@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn

Abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common sleep-disordered breathing condition, is characterized by intermittent hypoxia (IH) and sleep fragmentation and has been implicated in the pathogenesis and severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Abnormal molecular changes mediated by IH, such as high expression of hypoxia-inducible factors, are reportedly involved in abnormal pathophysiological states, including insulin resistance, abnormal lipid metabolism, cell death, and inflammation, which mediate the development of NAFLD. However, the relationship between IH and NAFLD remains to be fully elucidated. In this review, we discuss the clinical correlation between OSA and NAFLD, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of IH in NAFLD progression. We meticulously summarize clinical studies evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure treatment for NAFLD in OSA. Additionally, we compile potential molecular biomarkers for the co-occurrence of OSA and NAFLD. Finally, we discuss the current research progress and challenges in the field of OSA and NAFLD and propose future directions and prospects.

Keywords: intermittent hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, oxidative stress, dyslipidemia, leptin resistance