Animal models using intermittent hypoxia (IH), a hallmark of OSA, reveal several pro-inflammatory signaling pathways at play in males, such as TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB/MAPK, miRNA/NLRP3, and COX signaling, along with shifts in immune cell populations and function. Here, TLR4 is linked to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.