title: Interleukin-1 beta and beta-endorphin circadian rhythms are inversely related in normal and stress-altered sleep.
abstract: Normal sleep is associated to physiological nocturnal rises in Interleukin 1 beta (IL 1 beta) secretion. The 24 h pattern of IL 1 beta, beta-Endorphin (beta-EPH), ACTH and cortisol (F) production was evaluated in four male healthy volunteers. Two subjects were unable to sleep, due to the stress of the experiment; in these cases, no detectable plasma IL 1 beta secretion, both diurnal and nocturnal, was present, beta-EPH plasma levels were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than in the subjects who slept regularly and, in one case, increased F plasma levels were also reported. A strong negative correlation between IL 1 beta and beta-EPH plasma levels was present in all the cases. In conclusion, stress-induced sleep alterations might deeply affect both diurnal and nocturnal IL 1 beta plasma secretion, probably due to the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) activation, and beta-EPH might be the reliable marker of the stress-induced HPAA activation level.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Medical School, University of Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Covelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Massari
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fallacara
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Munno
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jirillo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Savastano
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Tommaselli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lombardi
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone