Influence of mental stress and environmental toxins on circadian clocks: Implications for redox regulation of the heart and cardioprotection

Abstract

Risk factors in the environment such as air pollution and mental stress contribute to the development of chronic non-communicable disease. Air pollution was identified as the leading health risk factor in the physical environment, followed by water pollution, soil pollution/heavy metals/chemicals and occupational exposures, however neglecting the non-chemical environmental health risk factors (e.g. mental stress and noise). Epidemiological data suggest that environmental risk factors are associated with higher risk for cardiovascular, metabolic and mental diseases, including hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, diabetes, arrhythmia, stroke, depression and anxiety disorders. We provide an overview on the impact of the external exposome comprising risk factors/exposures on cardiovascular health with a focus on dysregulation of stress hormones, mitochondrial function, redox balance and inflammation with special emphasis on the circadian clock. Finally, we assess the impact of circadian clock dysregulation on cardiovascular health and the potential of environment-specific preventive strategies or "chrono" therapy for cardioprotection.

The role of oxidative stress in cardiovascular disease caused by social isolation and loneliness

“…Moreover, GC also reduce eNOS gene expression and serine 1177 phosphorylation resulting in decreased NO production and impaired vasodilation. The scheme is partly adopted from our previous publications ([ 11 , 120 ]). The images of monocytes, EC and SMC used in this figure are from Servier Medical Art licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License [ 121 ].…”

The fear-defense system, emotions, and oxidative stress

“…Further, ROS signaling activates transcription factors, leading to the expression of several genes involved in tumor suppressive and antioxidative action. For example, ROS signaling can enhance the expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) [ 33 ]. NF-κB regulates the expression of almost 500 different genes, including enzymes, e.g., inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cytokines, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) [ 59 ].…”

Special Issue "Impact of environmental pollution and stress on redox signaling and oxidative stress pathways"

“…HPA, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; SNS, sympathetic nervous system; NOX-2, phagocytic NADPH oxidase (isoform 2); ROS, reactive oxygen species. Modified from [ 31 ] with permission according to the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY license. © 2019 The Authors.…”