Occupational Health, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy.
Occupational Medicine Unit, Management Staff Department, Marche University Hospital, 60126 Ancona, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 11;20(4):3195. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043195.
Steroid hormone levels are closely related to the endogenous circadian rhythm induced by sleep-wake and dark-light cycles. Shift work that disrupts the circadian rhythm may influence the levels of steroid hormones. The association between shift work and alterations in female sex steroid hormone levels has been studied, but little is known about testosterone and its precursor pregnenolone levels in male shift workers. The present study investigated serum pregnenolone and testosterone levels in a group of shift and daytime male workers. All participants were sampled at the beginning of the morning shift. Lower levels of serum pregnenolone and total testosterone were found in the shift workers compared to the daytime workers. Variations in pregnenolone levels may have consequences for well-being, and they might produce consequences for the levels of hormones downstream of the steroid hormone cascade, such as testosterone. The low levels of testosterone found in shift workers demonstrate the perturbative effect of shift work on testosterone serum levels, which may be independent and/or related to pregnenolone synthesis.
甾体激素水平与睡眠-觉醒和明暗周期引起的内源性昼夜节律密切相关。扰乱昼夜节律的轮班工作可能会影响甾体激素水平。已经研究了轮班工作与女性性激素水平变化之间的关系，但对于男性轮班工人的睾丸激素及其前体孕烯醇酮水平知之甚少。本研究调查了一组轮班和白天男性工人的血清孕烯醇酮和睾丸激素水平。所有参与者均在早班开始时进行采样。与白天工作的工人相比，轮班工人的血清孕烯醇酮和总睾丸激素水平较低。孕烯醇酮水平的变化可能对幸福感产生影响，并且可能对甾体激素级联下游的激素水平产生影响，如睾丸激素。轮班工人中发现的睾丸激素水平较低表明轮班工作对睾丸激素血清水平具有干扰作用，这种作用可能是独立的和/或与孕烯醇酮合成有关。
