Effects of Total Sleep Deprivation on Mouse Cytokine Levels

Cytokines play an integral role in sleep/wake regulation. The objective of this study was to identify how total sleep deprivation affects cytokine levels.Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 48 h of total sleep deprivation produced by brief rotation of activity wheels or 3 different controls: home cage, a sedentary wheel, or forced activity. In addition, the serum levels of cytokines were analyzed using a mouse magnetic bead-based multiplex immunoassay.The concentrations of some cytokines (fibroblast growth factor-basic [FGF-basic], leukemia inhibitory factor [LIF], and monokine induced by interferon-γ [MIG]) decreased significantly after total sleep deprivation. However, other cytokines (macrophage colony-stimulating factor, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, platelet-derived growth factor-bb, vascular endothelial growth factor) did not show any significant difference. Serum corticosterone levels did not differ significantly among the groups.The biochemical mechanisms responsible for sleep regulation are very complex. These results suggest the involvement of 3 cytokines (FGF-basic, LIF, and MIG) in sleep/wake regulation.