Shift Work Predicts Increases in Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein, Interleukin-10, and Leukocyte Counts in a Cross-Sectional Study of Healthy Volunteers Carrying Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation

Aisha Q. Atwater, Lilly Cheng Immergluck, Alec J. Davidson and Oscar Castanon-Cervantes
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Aisha Q. Atwater: Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Lilly Cheng Immergluck: Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Alec J. Davidson: Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Oscar Castanon-Cervantes: Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-16

Abstract: The disruption of inflammatory responses is a potential mechanism behind the harmful effects of shift work and is associated with increased risk of hypertension, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. These responses are linked to the proliferation of leukocytes in shift workers, suggesting a systemic signal as a potential mediator. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between systemic inflammation, leukocyte counts, and systemic endotoxemia in samples from a diverse cohort of day workers and shift workers. Participants (normothermic and normotensive) were healthy volunteers, non-smoking, and drug- and medication-free. The following outcomes were measured: C-reactive protein, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, leukocyte counts (monocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils), and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP). Risk factors that increase systemic inflammation, such as blood pressure, sleep loss, and cortisol, were also assessed. The results indicated that shift workers slept significantly less than day workers and had significantly increased concentrations of all of the cytokines measured as well as plasma cortisol. Regression models found that after controlling for covariates, shift-work exposure predicted the significant increase observed in IL-10, leukocyte counts, and LBP. Our results suggest that acute increases in low-grade systemic endotoxemia are unresolved during chronic shift-work exposure. This ongoing immune challenge may underlie the disrupted inflammatory responses characteristic of shift-work-related pathologies. Systemic endotoxemia may represent a novel target to investigate the early effects of exposure to shift-work schedules.

Keywords: shift work; low-grade systemic inflammation; leukocyte proliferation; lipopolysaccharide-binding protein; systemic endotoxemia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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