Mechanistic insights into chemotherapy-induced circadian disruption using rodent models

Chemotherapy treatment can significantly increase the survival of patients with cancer, but it also causes collateral damage in the body that can lead to treatment dose reductions and can reduce patient quality of life. One understudied side effect of chemotherapy is circadian disruption, which is associated with lasting biological and behavioral toxicities. Mechanisms of how chemotherapy alters circadian rhythms remain largely unknown, although leveraging rodent models may provide insights into causes and consequences of this disruption. Here, we review physiological, molecular, and behavioral evidence of central and peripheral circadian disruption in various rodent models of chemotherapy and discuss possible mechanisms driving these circadian disruptions. Overall, restoring circadian rhythms following treatment-induced disruptions may be a novel target by which to improve the health and quality of life of survivors.