Here’s how your body clock affects muscle and skin regeneration.
The clock that marks important time is biological. Also known as the circadian system, it is responsible for regulating various biological rhythms, which last about 24 hours, for example, sleep-wake or food metabolism. In other words, it is this clock that tells the body When is the best time to eat or sleep?.
But, How exactly do these inner arms work? They are located in an area of the brain called the hypothalamus and connect to the retina, which receives external information about light and dark cycles. Signals from the hypothalamus travel to different parts of the brain that respond to light.. Among them, the pineal gland stands out, where melatonin is produced – the sleep hormone. In response to light, this area of the brain suspends the production of melatonin, which increases with darkness.
More or less production of this hormone is a reflection of circadian rhythms. To better understand the synchronization of cellular functions with daily changes in the environment, It is important to know that the central clock interacts with others located in various peripheral tissues.. Team led Salvador Aznar Benita, researcher at the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) of the Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB) of Barcelona; And Pura Muñoz-CanovesICREA researcher at the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences of the University of Pompeu Fabra (UPF).
In particular, scientists discovered how synchronization between the brain’s circadian clock and peripheral clocks in muscle and skin is important for the proper functioning of these tissues, as well as to prevent degenerative processes typical of aging. The results were published in two studies published in journals. The science And Cell Stem cell. Both show the degree of autonomy of the peripheral clock, capable of maintaining 24-hour cycles and controlling approximately 15% of circadian functionsin the absence of a central clock.
“It is amazing to see how synchronization between the brain and peripheral circadian clocks plays a fundamental role in skin and muscle health, while only the peripheral clock autonomously performs the most basic tissue functions,” explains Benita in an IRB Barcelona press release. For his part, Muñoz-Cánoves points out that after these results, the next step will be “identify signaling factors involved in this interactionthinking about therapeutic applications.”
The connection between the brain, muscles and skin
Research published in The science focused on the connection between the brain and muscles and concluded that it was critical for proper daily muscle function and prevention of premature muscle aging. Using mouse models, the authors confirmed that restoring the circadian rhythm reduced the loss of muscle mass and strength, improving impaired motor function.
On the other hand, the work shows that time-restricted feeding (involves eating only during the active phase of the day), can partially replace the loss of the central clock and therefore improve muscle autonomy.
Regarding the study on the relationship between the central biological clock and the skin clock, it showed that they play an important role. key role in coordinating everyday tissue physiology. An interesting finding is that without a peripheral clock, the body’s central clock maintains the skin’s circadian rhythm, but in the opposite direction, that is, at the opposite time. For example, It has been observed that DNA replication, if controlled by a central clock,, will happen during the day. This will increase the risk of new mutations occurring as the skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation during this time.
Thus, the importance of the function of peripheral clocks has been proven, which, in addition to receiving signals from central biological, adapts them to the specific needs of the fabric, as in the previous example.by breaking down DNA after hours of the day when UV exposure is greatest.
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