Chitotriosidase as a marker of macrophage activation after paradoxical sleep deprivation

Abstract

Objectives: Chitotriosidase (CHIT) is a functional chitinase secreted by activated macrophages. Considering that sleep is an important physiological event that directly influences health and is related to immune system function, our aim is to verify whether the activity of CHIT is altered after paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) and to assess the extent to which recovery sleep could affect this biological process. Methods: We analyzed CHIT enzymatic activity of Swiss and C57BL/6 mice and Wistar rats submitted to PSD for 72 hours without sleep rebound and with 24 hours of free sleep following PSD. Results: We observed an increase in the activity of plasma CHIT in PSD Swiss mice when compared to the Control group (CT) (p < 0.05), C57BL/6 mice (p < 0.05) and Wistar rats (p < 0.05). After 24 hours of sleep, no differences were observed in rebound group (RG) compared to PSD Swiss mice (p > 0.05). Moreover, differences were significant among RG C57BL/6 mice (p < 0.05) and RG Wistar rats (p < 0.01) compared with their respective PSD groups. Conclusions: Our data suggest that CHIT is a relevant marker of macrophage activation, not only for infections and diseases but also after 72h of PSD in mice and rats.