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.

Highlights

  • In the U.S, it is estimated that nearly 30% of the workforce is exposed to shift-work schedules [1]

  • We found that shift workers were significantly younger than day workers (35.32 ± 1.24 years), and we found no statistically significant difference in BMI

  • The results of this study show that in young to middle-aged shift workers who have been deemed to be healthy, exposure to shift-work schedules results in the development of a state of low-grade systemic inflammation, the proliferation of leukocytes, and a significant increase in systemic lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP)

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Summary

Introduction

In the U.S, it is estimated that nearly 30% of the workforce is exposed to shift-work schedules [1]. Chronic exposure to light at night, sleep loss, circadian disruption, and the associated stress that is inherent to the disruptive environment of shift-work schedules weigh heavily on the health of shift workers. These workers are known to experience increased severity or frequency of several pathologies, including multiple cancers [2,3,4,5,6,7], gastric ulcers [8,9], obesity [10], Int. J.

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