Circadian Rhythms in Environmental Health Sciences
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SUSCEPTIBILITY FACTORS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (Z LIEW AND K POLLITT, SECTION EDITORS)
Circadian Rhythms in Environmental Health Sciences Jacqueline M. Leung 1 & Micaela E. Martinez 1
# The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Purpose of Review This review aims to explore how circadian rhythms influence disease susceptibility and potentially modify the effect of environmental exposures. We aimed to identify biomarkers commonly used in environmental health research that have also been the subject of chronobiology studies, in order to review circadian rhythms of relevance to environmental health and determine if time-of-day is an important factor to consider in environmental health studies. Moreover, we discuss opportunities for studying how environmental exposures may interact with circadian rhythms to structure disease pathology and etiology. Recent Findings In recent years, the study of circadian rhythms in mammals has flourished. Animal models revealed that all body tissues have circadian rhythms. In humans, circadian rhythms were also shown to exist at multiple levels of organization: molecular, cellular, and physiological processes, including responding to oxidative stress, cell trafficking, and sex hormone production, respectively. Together, these rhythms are an essential component of human physiology and can shape an individual’s susceptibility and response to disease. Summary Circadian rhythms are relatively unexplored in environmental health research. However, circadian clocks control many physiological and behavioral processes that impact exposure pathways and disease systems. We believe this review will motivate new studies of (i) the impact of exposures on circadian rhythms, (ii) how circadian rhythms modify the effect of environmental exposures, and (iii) how time-of-day impacts our ability to observe the body’s response to exposure. Keywords Circadian rhythms . Environmental health . Biomarkers . DNA methylation . Asthma . Breast cancer
Introduction Circadian rhythms exist in species throughout the tree of life, from single-cell organisms (e.g., cyanobacteria and Trypanosomes) to humans. Circadian rhythms drive 24-h cycles in physiology and behavior and evolved in response to predictable changes in Earth’s environment that occur around the day-night cycle [1]. By structuring biological processes into 24-h cycles, the circadian system enables organisms to synchronize their internal biology with their external
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Susceptibility Factors in Environmental Health * Micaela E. Martinez [email protected] 1
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, Room 16-421C, New York, NY, USA
environment and optimally time activities to maximize fitness and survival [2]. For example, circadian rhythms in human metabolic processes are believed to be evolutionarily advantageous for structuring metabolic activity according to the human diel lifestyle of nighttime sleep, daytime wake activity, and daytime food intake [3]. In mammals,
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