ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the changes of bone turnover markers induced by sleep deprivation (SD) and the effect of melatonin supplementation on the bone turnover status.Methods:Six-week-old Wistar male rats were divided into SD, normal control (NC), and melatonin supplementation (SD+ MT) groups. Acute SD model was established using a modified multi-level bench method. The bone turnover markers, corticosterone, and melatonin in serum as well as Cathepsin K(CTSK) mRNA expression in bone tissue were tested.Results:Acute SD disrupted the balance between bone formation and bone absorption evidenced by rapid decreased serum procollagen type Ⅰ N-terminal propeptide (PⅠNP) levels and increased β cross-linked C-telopeptide of type Ⅰ collagen (β-CTX) levels ( P=0.003) from 24 h to 72 h. The exogenous melatonin treatment decreased β-CTX [(512.4±95.8) ng/mL vs (696.0±76.5) ng/mL, P=0.004] and the osteoclast-related gene CTSK mRNA level after 72 h SD. Conclusions:Acute SD accelerates bone resorption, which could be partially alleviated by melatonin supplementation.