Da Young Lee, Inha Jung, So Young Park, Ji Hee Yu, Ji A Seo, Kyeong Jin Kim, Nam Hoon Kim, Hye Jin Yoo, Sin Gon Kim, Kyung Mook Choi, Sei Hyun Baik, Nan Hee Kim
Diabetes Metab J. 2024;48(1):37-52. Published online January 3, 2024
Novel strategies are required to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and/or clinical outcomes and complications of diabetes. In this regard, the role of the circadian system may be a potential candidate for the prevention of diabetes. We reviewed evidence from animal, clinical, and epidemiological studies linking the circadian system to various aspects of the pathophysiology and clinical outcomes of diabetes. The circadian clock governs genetic, metabolic, hormonal, and behavioral signals in anticipation of cyclic 24-hour events through interactions between a “central clock” in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and “peripheral clocks” in the whole body. Currently, circadian rhythmicity in humans can be subjectively or objectively assessed by measuring melatonin and glucocorticoid levels, core body temperature, peripheral blood, oral mucosa, hair follicles, rest-activity cycles, sleep diaries, and circadian chronotypes. In this review, we summarized various circadian misalignments, such as altered light-dark, sleep-wake, rest-activity, fasting-feeding, shift work, evening chronotype, and social jetlag, as well as mutations in clock genes that could contribute to the development of diabetes and poor glycemic status in patients with diabetes. Targeting critical components of the circadian system could deliver potential candidates for the treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the future.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Late-eating adolescents consume more energy, make poorer dietary choices, and are more likely to have excess weight: An analysis of the Brazilian Household Budget Survey (2008–2009) Maria Carliana Mota, Laura Cristina Tibiletti Balieiro, Luana Thomazetto Rossato, Claudia Roberta de Castro Moreno, Cibele Aparecida Crispim Chronobiology International.2026; 43(1): 104. CrossRef
Unraveling the Tapestry of Health: The Intricate Dance of Circadian Rhythms and Human Diseases Sidrah Parvez, Andrej Dzupina, Ghizal Fatima, Najah Hadi, Jan Fedacko, Aminat Magomedova, Ammar Mehdi Raza, Nasser Ghaly Yousif, Hekmat B. Alhmadi Bratislava Medical Journal.2026; 127(2): 492. CrossRef
Diabetes and its complications: molecular mechanisms, prevention and treatment Lijun Zhao, Jiamin Yuan, Qing Yang, Jing Ma, Fenghao Yang, Yutong Zou, Ke Liu, Fang Liu Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Prediabetes is a window of opportunity for preventive interventions. Part 2 T. V. Adasheva, E. E. Gubernatorova, E. I. Fomina, E. G. Lobanova Meditsinskiy sovet = Medical Council.2026; (23): 123. CrossRef
Association of daytime circadian-aligned activity with glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: Insights from continuous glucose monitoring and wearable data Da Young Lee, Jung-Been Lee, Inha Jung, So Young Park, Ji Hee Yu, Ji A Seo, Heon-Jeong Lee, Nan Hee Kim Metabolism.2026; 179: 156570. CrossRef
Applying AI Tools for Monitoring Nutrition and Physical Activity in Populations with Obesity: Are We Ready? Alessandra Amato, Sara Baldassano, Giuseppe Musumeci Obesities.2026; 6(2): 19. CrossRef
PERSONALIZED CHRONOTHERAPY: BRIDGING PRECISION MEDICINE WITH CIRCADIAN THERAPEUTICS Rajeswari Aleti, Monika Nijhawan, Mohammad Bakhatwar, Srinivas Baratam, Krishna Kishore Adireddy INDIAN DRUGS.2026; 63(03): 8. CrossRef
Chrononutrition: Potential, Challenges, and Application in Managing Obesity Siti Aisyah Fuad, Rehna Paula Ginting, Min-Woo Lee International Journal of Molecular Sciences.2025; 26(11): 5116. CrossRef
Chrononutrition and Energy Balance: How Meal Timing and Circadian Rhythms Shape Weight Regulation and Metabolic Health Claudia Reytor-González, Daniel Simancas-Racines, Náthaly Mercedes Román-Galeano, Giuseppe Annunziata, Martina Galasso, Raynier Zambrano-Villacres, Ludovica Verde, Giovanna Muscogiuri, Evelyn Frias-Toral, Luigi Barrea Nutrients.2025; 17(13): 2135. CrossRef
Chronic stress, gut microbiota, and immunity: interconnections and implications for health Hexiao Jia, Xiaodong Guo, Yihong Wei, Can Can, Na He, Hailei Zhang, Xinyu Yang, Hanyang Wu, Wancheng Liu, Daoxin Ma Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry.2025; 480(12): 5995. CrossRef
Chrononutrition and sleep patterns in individuals with diabetes mellitus: Assessing misalignments and social jetlag Micaela Rabelo Quadra, Fernanda Olivera Meller, Antônio Augusto Schäfer, Taísa Dimer Hendler, Emilio Luiz Streck Chronobiology International.2025; 42(10): 1427. CrossRef
Effects of time-restricted eating on body composition and metabolic parameters in overweight and obese women: a systematic review and meta-analysis Shiying Chen, Xiaotian Zhang, Jakub Kortas, Haitao Liu Frontiers in Nutrition.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
The oncogenic role of BMAL2 in non-small cell lung cancer: MRPL15-mediated regulation of apoptosis and ferroptosis Yang Liu, Yixia Li, Xiaotian Zhai, Lei Yang, Jie Li, Yi Han Translational Oncology.2025; 62: 102560. CrossRef
Circadian Rhythm: Biological Functions, Diseases, and Therapeutic Targets Kangkang Zha, Bobin Mi, Yuan Xiong, Shuyan Wu, Li Lu, Shengming Zhang, Xuan Lu, Hei Chung Mak, Jianping Huang, Adriana C. Panayi, Samuel Knoedler, Lili Chen, Guohui Liu, Sien Lin MedComm.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
BACKGROUND Glucocorticoids play important roles in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. It is well known that glucocorticoids reduce hepatic and peripheral tissue sensitivity to insulin, but the roles of glucocorticoids on insulin secretion and synthesis in pancreatic beta cells are still unclear. We have investigated the direct effects of glucocorticoids on insulin secretion and synthesis in rat insulinoma (INS-1) cells. METHODS: Insulin content and 11.2 mM glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) were measured in INS-1 cells after culture with or without 1 micrometer dexamethasone (DEX). Preproinsulin mRNA levels were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR and normalized to the internal control. Effect of RU486 on DEX-induced inhibition of GSIS and preproinsulin mRNA synthesis was evaluated. RESULTS: Insulin content of INS-1 cells cultured in RPMI containing 11.2 mM glucose in the presence of DEX was not different from that of control cells. After 1-h preincubation in 2.8 mM glucose, basal insulin secretion from cells treated with DEX did not differ from that of controls, but GSIS was significantly reduced in the cells treated with DEX in comparison to control cells. The expression of preproinsulin mRNA relative to beta-actin mRNA was also lower in the cells treated with DEX. Glucocorticoid receptor antagonist improved DEX-induced inhibition of GSIS and preproinsulin mRNA synthesis. CONCLUSION: DEX inhibited GSIS and preproinsulin mRNA synthesis in INS-1 cells. Glucocorticoid receptor antagonist ameliorated the reduced GSIS and preproinsulin mRNA synthesis induced by DEX.