A Cross-Sectional Study on the Relationship Among Cytokines, 5-HT2A Receptor Polymorphisms, and Sleep Quality of Non-manual Workers in Xinjiang, China

• Published in: Frontiers in psychiatry 2022-04, Vol.13, p.777566-777566
• Main Authors: Wang, Juan, Gao, Xiaoyan, Gao, Pengcheng, Liu, Jiwen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 5-HTR2A; cross-sectional study; cytokines; non-manual workers; Psychiatry; sleep quality
• ISSN: 1664-0640; 1664-0640
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.777566

Studies have shown that cytokine activity changes during the sleep-wake process, suggesting that inflammatory factors may be involved in a mechanism affecting sleep quality. Furthermore, the serotonergic system is also one of the essential components of airway relaxation during sleep, especially the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HTR2A) type that plays an important role in the sleep-wake process. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the effects of cytokines and polymorphisms on sleep quality in non-manual workers in Urumqi, Xinjiang in order to explore the relationship between the three. This study used a cluster sampling method to randomly select non-manual workers who worked in Urumqi, Xinjiang for at least 1 year. From July 2016 and December 2017, this study recruited 1,500 non-manual workers for physical examination in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1,329 non-manual workers were finally included in the questionnaire study. It used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire to assess sleep quality. Moreover, another 15% of respondents were randomly selected as the experimental study group. The polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to detect gene genotypes. Simultaneously, the cytokine (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α) content was evaluated using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. The results showed that among the 1,329 respondents, 870 had sleep quality problems, and the detection rate was 65.46%. The distribution of -1438G/A genotypes in the gene was significantly different among different sleep quality groups ( < 0.05), with no statistical significance present when comparing to T102C ( > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the AG [odds ratio (OR) = 2.771, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.054-7.287] and GG (OR = 4.037, 95% CI: 1.244-13.105) genotypes at -1438G/A loci were both associated with poor sleep quality and were thus considered the susceptibility genotypes for sleep problems. Furthermore, IL-1β was shown to be a protective factor for sleep quality (OR = 0.949, 95% CI: 0.925-0.974). The interaction results showed that AG × IL-1β (OR = 0.952, 95% CI: 0.918-0.987) was associated with a lower risk of sleep problems than AA × IL-1β. Cytokines and polymorphisms not only have independent effects on sleep but also may have cumulative effects. Therefore, it is necessary to further explore the related mechanisms affecting sl