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Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction in Sleep Apnea

Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction in Sleep Apnea

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05289063
Enrollment
110
Registered
2022-03-21
Start date
2022-10-03
Completion date
2027-02-28
Last updated
2026-02-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Obstructive Sleep Apnea of Adult

Keywords

CPAP, Atorvastatin

Brief summary

This double-blind placebo-controlled parallel group randomized study design will be used to test whether 4 weeks of atorvastatin 10 mg daily reduces levels of inflammatory markers in OSA patients treated with CPAP (standard of care). The purpose of this study is to investigate: 1) whether statins reduce endothelial inflammation and pro-thrombotic conditions in OSA, including in patients adherent to CPAP (Aim 1); and 2) whether statins reduce endothelial inflammation and pro-thrombotic conditions by improving endothelial cholesterol metabolism and trafficking in OSA (Aim 2).

Detailed description

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition that affects a quarter of American adults, triples the risk for cardiovascular diseases and increases all-cause mortality. Standard therapy with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) does not improve cardiovascular risk. Based on the investigators' mechanistic observation that the abnormal cycle of endothelial inflammation can be disrupted with statin therapy, the investigators now propose randomized clinical trial of statins vs. placebo to determine its effects on endothelial dysfunction in OSA patients treated with CPAP, which may provide the basis for practical clinical trials of statins for reducing cardiovascular risk in OSA.

Interventions

Atorvastatin 10 mg daily for 28 days will be randomly allocated to OSA patients regardless of adherence with CPAP. Atorvastatin and placebo will be encapsulated to appear identical and dispensed by the research pharmacy.

DRUGPlacebo

Placebo daily for 28 days will be randomly allocated to OSA patients regardless of adherence with CPAP. Atorvastatin and placebo will be encapsulated to appear identical and dispensed by the research pharmacy.

CPAP is a standard of care for OSA and will be prescribed by care providers not associated with this study based on clinical indications. The investigators will have no role in prescribing CPAP.

Sponsors

Columbia University
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

Active drug and placebo will be made identical in appearance and given to participants in a blinded fashion.

Intervention model description

Randomized double blind design

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Aged ≥18 years * Newly diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who were never treated with CPAP. OSA is defined as apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5 events/hour of sleep.

Exclusion criteria

* A history of coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, malignancy, chronic pulmonary, kidney or rheumatologic disease, muscle pain/fatigue, smoking within the past 5 years * Regular use of any medications

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Interaction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-bound vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B (VAPB) with late endosome-bound ORP1L (proximity ligation assay fluorescence area in µm2) after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo therapy4 weeks post-treatmentMean Interactions ER-bound VAPB with late endosome-bound ORP1L in harvested endothelial cells (ECs) will be assessed using proximity ligation assay (DuoLink, fluorescence area in µm2) after 4 weeks of atorvastatin or placebo therapy
Circulating levels of Angiopoietin-2 after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo therapy4 weeks post-treatmentMean circulating levels of Ang-2 will be quantified after 4 weeks of statin or placebo therapy by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Circulating levels of von Willebrand factor (vWF) cleavage products (low, medium, high molecular weight) at baseline and after 4 weeks of CPAP4 weeks post-CPAPMean Circulating levels (count) of vWF cleavage products (LMW, IMW, HMW) at baseline and after CPAP.
Endothelial cell free cholesterol levels after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo4 weeks post-treatmentMean Endothelial cell free cholesterol levels (fluorescence intensity) after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo therapy
Endothelial cell lipid droplets after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo4 weeks post-treatmentMean Endothelial cell lipid droplets (fluorescence area µm2) after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo
Circulating levels of Angiopoietin-2 at baseline and after 4 weeks of CPAP therapy4 weeks post-CPAPMean Circulating levels of Angiopoietin-2 after 4 weeks of CPAP therapy quantified by ELISA
Interaction of ER-bound VAPB with late endosome-bound ORP1L (proximity ligation assay fluorescence area in µm2) at baseline and after 4 weeks of CPAP therapy4 weeks post-CPAPMean Interaction of ER-bound VAPB with late endosome-bound ORP1L (proximity ligation assay fluorescence area in µm2) after 4 weeks of CPAP therapy
Endothelial cell nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) nuclear fluorescence intensity after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo4 weeks post-treatmentMean Endothelial cell NF-kB nuclear fluorescence intensity after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo
Circulating levels of E-selectin after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo therapy4 weeks post-treatmentMean Circulating levels of E-selectin after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo therapy quantified by ELISA
Endothelial cell interactions between CD59 and Weibel Palade Bodies (WPBs) after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo4 weeks post-treatmentMean Endothelial cell interactions between CD59 and Weibel Palade Bodies (fluorescence area µm2) after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo
Endothelial cell messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of EC adhesion molecules after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo4 weeks post-treatmentMean Endothelial cell mRNA expression of EC adhesion molecules after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo quantified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
Circulating levels of von Willebrand factor cleavage products after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo4 weeks post-treatmentMean Circulating levels (count) of von Willebrand factor (vWF) cleavage products (low molecular weight (LMW), medium molecular weight (IMW), high molecular weight (HMW)) after 4 weeks of atorvastatin vs. placebo

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTSanja Jelic, MD
sj366@cumc.columbia.edu2125438875
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSanja Jelic, MD

Columbia University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 14, 2026