The contribution of sleep to the neuroendocrine regulation of rhythms in human leukocyte traffic.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic pathways without primary data or systematic search methodology.
PubMed 35041075 · doi:10.1007/s00281-021-00904-6
What was done
This narrative review synthesizes evidence on the role of sleep and associated neuroendocrine mediators (epinephrine, cortisol, growth hormone, and aldosterone) in regulating 24-hour rhythmic trafficking and compartmental redistribution of human leukocyte subsets.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data. It describes mechanistic trafficking rhythms: morning epinephrine increases mobilize neutrophils, natural killer cells, and cytotoxic T cells into circulation via beta2-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of integrins; morning cortisol increases drive eosinophils and less-differentiated T cells out of circulation via CXCR4-driven homing. Sleep suppresses epinephrine and cortisol while elevating growth hormone and aldosterone, favoring T-cell lymph node homing.
Why it matters
It outlines how sleep coordinates hormonal rhythms to support adaptive immune homing at night, contrasting with daytime mobilization of innate and cytotoxic effector cells.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks a systematic literature search methodology, quantitative meta-analysis, and primary human participant data in the abstract.
Cited by
- context During sleep, circulating immune cells clear out of the bloodstream and migrate back into the bone marrow.