Biochemical basis of circadian rhythms and diseases: With emphasis on post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract Circadian rhythms affect several processes in the body physiology. This commentary revisits the topic of ‘metabolic basis of diseases’ with a view to shed light on how cellular energy requirements feed-forward to a sequential signaling of hormonal response, blood glucose metabolism, antioxidant activities, and pathophysiology. Attempt is made to explain how diseases that may not appear to be closely related, such as bone metabolism and vasculopathy, have an increase in oxidative damage as a common underlying biochemistry. Importantly, this article identifies oxidative damage as an outcome of sleep disturbance and hypothesize that sleep complaint is not merely one of many resulting symptoms of PTSD, but a core feature that arise from trauma and gives rise to the stress biochemistry, which in turn manifests symptomatically. Further, we suggest that the current non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic therapeutic options attenuate oxidative stress. Implication for clinical diagnosis and evaluations is also suggested.