Plasma ALKBH5 depletion during severe intermittent hypoxia and its attenuation by galectin-3 inhibition: an experimental rat study.

BACKGROUND

Intermittent hypoxia (IH), the pathophysiological hallmark of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), promotes oxidative stress and cardiovascular remodeling. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a key mediator of hypoxia-associated inflammatory cardiac injury. ALKBH5, an m6A RNA demethylase detectable in plasma, has not been systematically characterized during hypoxic cardiovascular stress. This experimental study examined plasma ALKBH5 responses to graded IH and evaluated whether pharmacologic Gal-3 inhibition with modified citrus pectin (MCP) modulates circulating ALKBH5 levels and associated cardiac histopathology.

METHODS

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 40) were randomized to five groups (n = 8/group): normoxia control; moderate IH (MIH; nadir FiO2 10%-12%); severe IH (SIH; nadir FiO2 5%-7%); MIH with MCP (800 mg/kg/day); and SIH with MCP. IH exposure was applied for 8 h/day over 10 days. Endpoint plasma ALKBH5 and Gal-3 concentrations were quantified by ELISA. Cardiac histology was assessed using blinded semi-quantitative injury scoring. Group comparisons were performed using Kruskal-Wallis tests with Dunn's post-hoc correction, and factorial effects were analyzed using aligned rank transform (ART) ANOVA. Correlations were explored using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients due to small sample size and non-normal distributions.

RESULTS

Plasma Gal-3 increased in a severity-dependent manner with IH (Control: 18.4 ± 3.2; MIH: 34.7 ± 5.8; SIH: 48.2 ± 7.1 ng/mL; p < 0.001) and was significantly reduced by MCP treatment (36%-45% reduction; p < 0.01), confirming effective target engagement. Plasma ALKBH5 [median (IQR)] was significantly reduced in SIH compared with controls [691 [562] vs. 2,048 [1,094] pg/mL; p = 0.008], while MIH showed a non-significant trend toward reduction [1,213 (951) pg/mL; p = 0.089]. MCP treatment was associated with higher plasma ALKBH5 concentrations in both IH groups [MIH + MCP: 1,866 [1,698]; SIH + MCP: 1,807 [1,595] pg/mL; p < 0.05 vs. respective IH groups]. ART ANOVA demonstrated a significant main effect of Gal-3 inhibition on circulating ALKBH5 independent of hypoxic severity [F(1,28) = 21.28, p < 0.001, partial η 2 = 0.381]. Histological analysis revealed marked myocardial injury in untreated IH groups, whereas MCP-treated animals exhibited markedly attenuated histopathological injury within the limits of semi-quantitative histological assessment.

CONCLUSION

Severe intermittent hypoxia has been linked to a drop in circulating ALKBH5 levels, whereas pharmacological inhibition of galectin-3 has been associated with maintaining plasma ALKBH5 concentrations and a significant reduction of hypoxia-induced myocardial pathological damage in an experimental rat model. These findings suggest circulating ALKBH5 as a hypoxia-responsive molecular signal controlled by inflammatory pathways; however, more mechanistic and longitudinal investigations are necessary to characterize its biological significance and possible translational value.