Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 14, 2018; 24(38): 4297-4303
Published online Oct 14, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i38.4297
Circadian rhythms in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal diseases
Pilar Codoñer-Franch, Marie Gombert
Pilar Codoñer-Franch, Marie Gombert, Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Ginecology, University of Valencia, Valencia 46010, Spain
Pilar Codoñer-Franch, Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Peset University Hospital, Valencia 46017, Spain
Marie Gombert, Department of Biotechnology, University of La Rochelle, La Rochelle 17000, France
Author contributions: Codoñer-Franch P and Gombert M conceived the study and drafted the manuscript; both authors approved the final version of the article.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Pilar Codoñer-Franch, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Peset University Hospital, Avenida Gaspar Aguilar 90, Valencia 46017, Spain. pilar.codoner@uv.es
Telephone: +34-96-3864170 Fax: +34-96-3864815
Received: July 27, 2018
Peer-review started: July 27, 2018
First decision: August 27, 2018
Revised: August 31, 2018
Accepted: October 5, 2018
Article in press: October 5, 2018
Published online: October 14, 2018
Abstract

The etiology of digestive pathologies such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and cancer is not yet fully understood. In recent years, several studies have evidenced circadian variations in mechanisms involved in digestive health. In situations of disturbed circadian rhythms (chronodisruption) where the central clock and the peripheral clocks receive incoherent signals, the synchronicity is lost producing implications for health. This lack of coordination could alter the tissue function and cause long term damage to the organs. Life habits such as sleep, physical exercise, social interaction, and feeding times are determinants for stability and integrity of circadian rhythms. In recent years, experimental and clinical studies have consistently evidenced that the alteration of circadian rhythms is associated with the development of digestive pathologies mainly linked to dismotility or changes in microbiota composition. Likewise, it seems reasonable to deep into the importance of chronodisruption as a factor that may participate in the development of pathologies such as IBS, IBD and digestive cancers. Moreover, life habits respecting circadian rhythms should be promoted for the prevention of these diseases. Further studies will allow us a better understanding of the mechanisms acting at molecular level, and the development of new therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Circadian rhythms, Gastrointestinal diseases, Irritable bowel syndrome, Inflammatory bowel disease, Digestive cancers

Core tip: Chronodisruption, or circadian rhythm disruption, has been associated with impairments in metabolic functions and organ physiology. In this review we focus on the link between circadian rhythms and digestive pathologies such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases and cancers of the digestive tract. The purpose of this review is to highlight what is known about the negative impact of chronodisruption on pathogenesis of these digestive diseases and provide reasons for future research.