Disrupted circadian rhythms may favor it

The rats studied were divided into two groups. One of them was kept in sync with the natural day and night cycle. Another group was given an unrestricted cycle, with alternating daylight and dark exposure, to simulate the changes a person experiences each week on a round-trip flight from San Francisco to London for several weeks.

Disruption of the internal clock may explain the occurrence of liver cancer

In their conclusions, the researchers explained that a group of rats exposed to an irregular day/night cycle may have suffered harmful effects. ” We found that, compared to mice maintained under normal light and dark cycles, Mice in the jet lag group had shorter lifespans and increased cirrhosis

Jaundice (when the skin or whites of the eyes turn yellow) and cancer also develop in mouse and human liver cells. Dr Loning Fu said. ” Importantly, chronic jet lag also induced metastasis from humanized livers. »

But this is not the only discovery the researchers have made. Altered day/night exposure had the effect of altering the circadian rhythm of mice that developed liver cancer. Slow the progression of tumors. ” One of the paper’s important findings is that once tumors grow spontaneously in response to chronic circadian disruption, returning mice to a normal circadian clock slows tumor growth and prevents metastasis. Co-corresponding author Dr. David Moore said.

“Chronic circadian dysfunction is carcinogenic to humans”.

This work allows us to learn more about the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, as Dr. As explained by Lonning Fu: “ This work provides new knowledge that may promote the development of improved therapies for these cancers and better understand the mechanisms of carcinogenesis.

“Furthermore, Disruption of circadian rhythms may explain the occurrence of cancer on a more global scale. ” Our work shows that circadian influences on cancer cannot be underestimated: chronic circadian dysfunction is carcinogenic to humans. Dr. David Moore said.