Chronic exposure to dim light at night disrupts cell-mediated immune response and decreases longevity in aged female mice. 2022

Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
Department of Neuroscience, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.

Circadian rhythms are endogenous biological cycles that regulate physiology and behavior for optimal adaptive function and survival; they are synchronized to precisely 24 hours by daily light exposure. Disruption of the daily light-dark (LD) cycle by exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) dysregulates core clock genes and biological function. Exposure to ALAN has been associated with increased health risks in humans, and elderly individuals are at elevated risk for poor outcome from disease and often experience elevated exposure to ALAN due to increased care requirements. The role of disrupted circadian rhythms in healthy, aged animals remains unspecified; thus, we hypothesized that disrupted circadian rhythms via chronic exposure to dim ALAN (dLAN) impair immune response and survival in aged mice. Twenty-month-old C57BL/6 male and female mice were exposed to 24 weeks of LD conditions or dLAN (5 lux); then, cell-mediated immune response was assessed using a delayed-type hypersensitivity test. Aged female mice exposed to dLAN displayed dysregulated hypersensitivity and inflammation as a measure of cell-mediated immune response and decreased lifespan compared to females housed in dark nights. Nighttime lighting did not affect cell-mediated immune response or lifespan in males but dysregulated body mass and increased adrenal mass after immune challenge after chronic exposure to dLAN. Together, these data indicate that chronic exposure to dLAN affects lifespan in aged females and suggest that females are more susceptible to the detrimental consequences of disrupted circadian rhythms.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007109 Immunity Nonsusceptibility to the invasive or pathogenic effects of foreign microorganisms or to the toxic effect of antigenic substances. Immune Process,Immune Response,Immune Processes,Immune Responses,Process, Immune,Response, Immune
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D008027 Light That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared range. Light, Visible,Photoradiation,Radiation, Visible,Visible Radiation,Photoradiations,Radiations, Visible,Visible Light,Visible Radiations
D008136 Longevity The normal length of time of an organism's life. Length of Life,Life Span,Lifespan,Life Spans,Lifespans
D008297 Male Males
D008810 Mice, Inbred C57BL One of the first INBRED MOUSE STRAINS to be sequenced. This strain is commonly used as genetic background for transgenic mouse models. Refractory to many tumors, this strain is also preferred model for studying role of genetic variations in development of diseases. Mice, C57BL,Mouse, C57BL,Mouse, Inbred C57BL,C57BL Mice,C57BL Mice, Inbred,C57BL Mouse,C57BL Mouse, Inbred,Inbred C57BL Mice,Inbred C57BL Mouse
D002940 Circadian Rhythm The regular recurrence, in cycles of about 24 hours, of biological processes or activities, such as sensitivity to drugs or environmental and physiological stimuli. Diurnal Rhythm,Nyctohemeral Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythm,Nycthemeral Rhythm,Circadian Rhythms,Diurnal Rhythms,Nycthemeral Rhythms,Nyctohemeral Rhythms,Rhythm, Circadian,Rhythm, Diurnal,Rhythm, Nycthemeral,Rhythm, Nyctohemeral,Rhythm, Twenty-Four Hour,Rhythms, Circadian,Rhythms, Diurnal,Rhythms, Nycthemeral,Rhythms, Nyctohemeral,Rhythms, Twenty-Four Hour,Twenty Four Hour Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythms
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly

Related Publications

Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
February 2020, Neuroscience,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
June 2011, Biology letters,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
July 2017, Journal of insect physiology,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
February 2014, General and comparative endocrinology,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
September 2019, Archives of dermatological research,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
May 2015, Chronobiology international,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
January 2020, PloS one,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
August 2013, Journal of biological rhythms,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
May 2018, Psychiatry investigation,
Jennifer A Liu, and James C Walton, and Jacob R Bumgarner, and William H Walker, and O Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, and A Courtney DeVries, and Randy J Nelson
November 2013, Brain, behavior, and immunity,
Copied contents to your clipboard!