CD68 and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: In the present study, we demonstrated the OSA induced aortic inflammation, as shown by increased level of serum TNF-α and expression of NLRP3, phospho-NF-κB p65 and CD68 in the aorta after 12 weeks of OSA, which was accompanied with increased expressions of markers of oxidative stress (XOD, MDA), cell death (cleaved caspase3, AIF and BAX) and remodeling (aorta tunica media thickness, collagen accumulation, and the expression of TGF-β1) in OSA group.