TY - JOUR
T1 - Influence of cortisol awakening response on telomere length
T2 - Trends for males and females
AU - Thomas, Natalie
AU - Hudaib, Abdul Rahman
AU - Romano-Silva, Marco
AU - Bozaoglu, Kiymet
AU - H. X. Thomas, Elizabeth
AU - Rossell, Susan
AU - Kulkarni, Jayashri
AU - Gurvich, Caroline
PY - 2022/5
Y1 - 2022/5
N2 - Although telomere attrition is associated with the process of normal ageing, shorter telomere length (TL) has been associated with acute and chronic stressors. A neurobiological factor hypothesised to be responsible for this accelerated attrition is the dysregulation of the cortisol stress response, which can induce DNA damage affecting DNA telomeric caps. Marked sex differences are reported in both the cortisol stress response and telomere dynamics, yet no explicit investigation of sex specificity on the relationship between cortisol and TL exists. This study used mathematical equation modelling to describe the relationship between diurnal cortisol levels and telomere length within the context of sex, in a healthy population. Cortisol awakening responses (CAR) were measured via ELISA methodology in fifty-one healthy participants (28 males, 23 females). qPCRs determined TL from genomic DNA extracted from saliva. To assess the effect of free cortisol on relative TL ratio, a semi-log regression plot of the two variables trended for sex were fitted using spline curves. Results demonstrated significant differences between males and females in the relationship defining CAR and TL association (p = 0.03). These results suggest the relationship is not linear and can be represented as a complex arcsin function, and that the patterns are opposite in males and females. Males demonstrate a positive correlation, with higher levels of CAR being associated with longer telomere sequences. Females demonstrated a negative correlation. Future studies must carefully take into consideration moderating factors such as sex, and sex hormones across the lifespan when investigating telomere length.
AB - Although telomere attrition is associated with the process of normal ageing, shorter telomere length (TL) has been associated with acute and chronic stressors. A neurobiological factor hypothesised to be responsible for this accelerated attrition is the dysregulation of the cortisol stress response, which can induce DNA damage affecting DNA telomeric caps. Marked sex differences are reported in both the cortisol stress response and telomere dynamics, yet no explicit investigation of sex specificity on the relationship between cortisol and TL exists. This study used mathematical equation modelling to describe the relationship between diurnal cortisol levels and telomere length within the context of sex, in a healthy population. Cortisol awakening responses (CAR) were measured via ELISA methodology in fifty-one healthy participants (28 males, 23 females). qPCRs determined TL from genomic DNA extracted from saliva. To assess the effect of free cortisol on relative TL ratio, a semi-log regression plot of the two variables trended for sex were fitted using spline curves. Results demonstrated significant differences between males and females in the relationship defining CAR and TL association (p = 0.03). These results suggest the relationship is not linear and can be represented as a complex arcsin function, and that the patterns are opposite in males and females. Males demonstrate a positive correlation, with higher levels of CAR being associated with longer telomere sequences. Females demonstrated a negative correlation. Future studies must carefully take into consideration moderating factors such as sex, and sex hormones across the lifespan when investigating telomere length.
KW - cortisol
KW - salivary telomere length
KW - sex differences
KW - stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099060361&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ejn.14996
DO - 10.1111/ejn.14996
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85099060361
SN - 0953-816X
VL - 55
SP - 2794
EP - 2803
JO - European Journal of Neuroscience
JF - European Journal of Neuroscience
IS - 9-10
ER -