Periodic dip of lipidperoxidation in humans: a redox signal to synchronize peripheral circadian clocks?

Abstract

The output generated by the endogenous circadian clock to control circadian functions and temporal organization in metazoans is unknown. Redox state perturbations generated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants are known to influence the expression of a number of genes and signal transduction pathways. Evidence has been recently provided that the reduced redox cofactors NAD and NADP both regulate clock gene activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and are induced by it. Significant periodic variations of lipidperoxidation in human blood with a dip at 04.00 h have been previously reported. Such variations could be expected to alter the cellular redox state, thus possibly functioning as periodic redox signals from the master clock. To verify the existence of the mentioned variations the serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipidperoxidation, were monitored by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography in 39 healthy subjects at 3-h intervals over a 24-h period. Throughout the test period, only biological noise could be detected in all test persons. However, the normalized MDA levels at 03.00 h were significantly lower ( p <0.05 to <0.00005) in 38 (97%) of the cases and showed a significantly lower standard deviation ( p <0.004) than at any of the other 3-h intervals, indicating a periodic dip of lipidperoxidation (PDL) in diurnal active subjects. We hypothesize that the PDL, on the basis of its time of appearance, its frequency and its potential influence on cellular redox state, represents a periodic systemic redox output of the SCN, in terms of a relatively short and sudden interruption of the daily oxidative noise. According to recent research, it could be the result of redox alterations induced by the SCN activity and at the same time the pathway by which the master clock resets and synchronizes peripheral oscillators to the light/dark cycle. Additionally, the antioxidative function of the pineal gland activity postulated elsewhere could play a part in generating the described phenomenon. The PDL could be useful as a circadian phase marker in research dealing with treatment of jet lag and other sleep disorders.