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Peer-reviewedCC BYMolecular biomedicine

Circadian rhythms in health and disease.

  • Xiaoyan Liu1
  • Xuguang Du2
  • Shihong Qi1
  • Lin Yuan3
  • Liyu Liu4,5
  • Kaiyu Zhang6
  • Liqin Wang7
  • Wanlu Zhang1
  • Qian Liu4
  • Min Wu8,9,10
  • Yongye Huang11,12
12 affiliations
  1. 1College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110169, China.
  2. 2Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding (MOE), State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
  3. 3Institute of Neurology, Jiangxi Academy of Clinical Medical Sciences, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330200, China.
  4. 4Joint Research Center of Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China.
  5. 5Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China.
  6. 6Department of Infectious Diseases and Center of Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
  7. 7Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding for Ruminant Livestock, Urumqi, Xinjiang, 830000, China.
  8. 8Joint Research Center of Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China. [email protected].
  9. 9Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China. [email protected].
  10. 10Department of Infectious Diseases and Center of Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China. [email protected].
  11. 11College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110169, China. [email protected].
  12. 12National Key Laboratory for Swine Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China. [email protected].
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Abstract

Circadian rhythms, serving as a crucial temporal bridge linking neural activity and pathological biology, are regulated by central pacemaker neurons to maintain cellular homeostasis and coordinate diverse biological processes. Circadian rhythm disruption is closely associated with various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic disorders, and cancer. Circadian rhythms are controlled by core clock genes, such as BMAL1 and CLOCK, modulating numerous physiological processes, encompassing metabolism, immune responses, neural activity, and hormone regulation. Circadian rhythms disruptions arising from shift work, jet lag, or inconsistent sleep schedules are implicated in both the onset and progression of numerous diseases, notably Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The article highlights how circadian dysregulation alters cellular processes to potentially accelerate disease progression. Circadian disruption results in impaired immune function, further promoting disease development and resistance to treatment. Potential therapeutic applications based on circadian biology, such as chronotherapy and personalized medicine, are also discussed. Recent technological advances, embodied in wearable devices and omics approaches, are increasingly providing deeper insights into circadian biology. Further unveiling the role of circadian in health and disease opens new avenues for tailoring treatment timing to patients' biological rhythms, thereby enhancing therapeutic outcomes across various diseases. By bridging fundamental circadian mechanisms with clinical pathology, this review provides a roadmap for future chronotherapeutic interventions in precision medicine.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{liu2026circadian,
  title = {{Circadian rhythms in health and disease.}},
  author = {Xiaoyan Liu and Xuguang Du and Shihong Qi and Lin Yuan and Liyu Liu and Kaiyu Zhang and Liqin Wang and Wanlu Zhang and Qian Liu and Min Wu and Yongye Huang},
  journal = {Molecular biomedicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1186/s43556-026-00646-7},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909824},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Circadian rhythms in health and disease.
AU  - Xiaoyan Liu
AU  - Xuguang Du
AU  - Shihong Qi
AU  - Lin Yuan
AU  - Liyu Liu
AU  - Kaiyu Zhang
AU  - Liqin Wang
AU  - Wanlu Zhang
AU  - Qian Liu
AU  - Min Wu
AU  - Yongye Huang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
JO  - Molecular biomedicine
DO  - 10.1186/s43556-026-00646-7
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909824
AB  - Circadian rhythms, serving as a crucial temporal bridge linking neural activity and pathological biology, are regulated by central pacemaker neurons to maintain cellular homeostasis and coordinate diverse biological processes. Circadian rhythm disruption is closely associated with various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic disorders, and cancer. Circadian rhythms are controlled by core clock genes, such as BMAL1 and CLOCK, modulating numerous physiological processes, encompassing metabolism, immune responses, neural activity, and hormone regulation. Circadian rhythms disruptions arising from shift work, jet lag, or inconsistent sleep schedules are implicated in both the onset and progression of numerous diseases, notably Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The article highlights how circadian dysregulation alters cellular processes to potentially accelerate disease progression. Circadian disruption results in impaired immune function, further promoting disease development and resistance to treatment. Potential therapeutic applications based on circadian biology, such as chronotherapy and personalized medicine, are also discussed. Recent technological advances, embodied in wearable devices and omics approaches, are increasingly providing deeper insights into circadian biology. Further unveiling the role of circadian in health and disease opens new avenues for tailoring treatment timing to patients' biological rhythms, thereby enhancing therapeutic outcomes across various diseases. By bridging fundamental circadian mechanisms with clinical pathology, this review provides a roadmap for future chronotherapeutic interventions in precision medicine.
SN  - 2662-8651
ER  -