Effect of night shiftwork on lipid profile, hematological, and immunoinflammatory parameters in adult male wistar rats

Background: Adverse health outcomes of night shiftwork (NSW) have been reported from observational studies but interventional researches mimicking NSW are dearth. This study aimed to simulate NSW and investigate its effect on lipid profile, hematological, and immunoinflammatory parameters in adult male Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Sixteen male Wistar rats aged between 8 and 10 weeks, weighing 100 g ± 12 g were equally and randomly divided into control and NSW groups. Night shift-work group was sleep restricted and exposed to light at night for 6 weeks. Lipids were analyzed using their respective Randox kits and chemistry Autoanalyser (mindry Ba-88a). Full blood count was done using an Automated Hematology analyzer (Mindray BC-10) and CD 4+ T-cells were estimated using an automated Partec Cyflow counter. Data were analyzed using SPSS V20.0 and summarized using mean ± standard error of means. Student's t-test was used to investigate differences between the groups and P ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The results demonstrated NSW rats to exhibit trends toward lower high-density lipoprotein, higher triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and lipid ratios compared to controls (P > 0.05). In addition, NSW group exhibited significant reduction in total WBC count, marginal decrease in CD4+ T-cells, and absolute lymphopenia. In addition, while erythrothrombotic parameters of the two groups appeared statistically similar, platelets-to-lymphocytes ratio is slightly higher and red cell distribution width coefficient is significantly lower in the NSW group. Conclusion: The present study has demonstrated the potentials of night shiftwork to increase atherogenic lipids, lower cardioprotective lipids, impair immunological competence and increase systemic inflammation in male Wistar rats. These finding have highlighted the need for extensive research effort in order to fully understand mechanisms through which NSW affect immunoinflammation, metabolic and cardiovascular health.