Several CIBER research groups are leading the LIVER-MOON project, an initiative that seeks to understand how night work and disruptions to the circadian rhythm can affect health and increase the risk of disease.
Coordinated by Mª Luz Martínez Chantar, a researcher in the Liver and Digestive Diseases area (CIBEREHD) at CIC BioGune, and Juan P. Bolaños, a researcher in the Frailty and Healthy Aging area (CIBERFES) and at the Salamanca Biomedical Research Institute (IBSAL) at the Institute of Functional Biology and Genomics (IBFG, USAL-CSIC), this project is one of four selected in the First Call for CIBER Interdisciplinary Projects and has been awarded 222,000 euros for a two-year period. The project also involves the CIBERDEM group led by Montserrat Romero de Pablos, the CIBERNED group led by José Luis Cantero Lorente, and the CIBEROBN group led by Francisco José Ortega Delgado.
Hydrogen sulfide
The study centers on a key molecule: hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). The project is based on the hypothesis that disruptions in circadian rhythms could destabilize its production, leading to an exacerbation of oxidative stress and an increased risk of liver, brain, and adipose tissue dysfunction, as well as associated metabolic disorders.
In this regard, and given the limited information available on this subject, LIVER-MOON It will adopt a multidisciplinary and innovative approach to provide new data on the effects of circadian rhythm disruption on H₂S production and its impact on health. To this end, mouse models and human samples will be used.
Diet as a Potential Protective Factor
The research team proposes mitigating the systemic adverse effects of night work through a dietary approach that adjusts the levels of plant proteins, thereby promoting the production of hydrogen sulfide. These interventions will be carried out both over short periods of time—three weeks—and in chronic conditions lasting three months.
In addition, in the same mouse models, compounds capable of releasing H₂S in a controlled manner—such as SG-1002 and AP39—will be administered orally. At the same time, the opposite effect—that is, the inhibition of the enzymes responsible for H₂S production (CBS, CSE, and 3MPST)—will also be studied in order to clarify the role of H₂S under different conditions and to improve our understanding of oxidative stress and liver and brain function.
Validation in a population with altered circadian rhythms
To validate and compare the results observed in mouse models, H₂S production and associated metabolites will be measured in an observational study involving healthy middle-aged volunteers with disrupted circadian rhythms, as well as older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease who have sleep disorders.
“With LIVER-MOON, we aim to understand how disruptions to the circadian rhythm affect key metabolic processes and whether it is possible to intervene—for example, through diet or by modulating hydrogen sulfide—to reduce their effects on health,” says Mª Luz, the project coordinator.
The results of this study could lay the groundwork for the development of new prevention strategies aimed at mitigating the effects of night work.
Source of the news: CIBER
