Impaired Responses to In Vitro Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Stimulation After Long-Term, Rotating Shift Work

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Occupational Health
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Shift work affects nearly 30% of the U.S. workforce.
• Long-term rotating-shift work is linked to chronic systemic inflammation and increased susceptibility to infections.
• Cell-mediated immune responses in rotating-shift workers remain poorly understood despite chronic immune activation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of rotating-shift work on cell-mediated inflammatory responses.
• To compare the immune cell responsiveness between rotating-shift workers and healthy day-shift workers.

Main Methods:

• Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from rotating-shift and day-shift workers.
• PBMCs were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to assess inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses.
• Plasma lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) levels were measured as a marker of systemic inflammation.

Main Results:

• PBMCs from rotating-shift workers exhibited a dampened inflammatory response to LPS, with significantly reduced TNF-α secretion.
• Anti-inflammatory IL-10 secretion was similar in both groups.
• The correlation between plasma LBP and LPS-induced responses was disrupted in rotating-shift workers.

Conclusions:

• Rotating-shift work disrupts cell-mediated immunity, characterized by hypo-responsive PBMCs.
• An impaired mechanism weakening pro- and anti-inflammatory signaling may underlie this hypo-responsiveness.
• These immune disruptions increase the risk of infection and inflammation-related pathologies in shift workers.