Serum levels of 1,3-β-D-glucan is correlated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation and insomnia severity in people with chronic insomnia disorder

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the correlation between serum levels 1,3-β-D-glucan as a biomarker for gut microbiome imbalance and NLRP3 inflammasome/IL-1β axis activation and insomnia severity in humans with chronic insomnia disorder (CID). Blood samples were collected from 20 people diagnosed with CID based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and video-polysomnography and 20 healthy individuals based on PSQI. 1,3-β-D-glucan, IL-1β, and NLRP3 protein serum levels were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 1,3-β-D-glucan, IL-1β, and NLRP3 protein serum concentrations in the CID group were significantly higher than in the control group. Also, we observed a significant positive correlation between the serum levels of these three factors in the CID group and a significant positive correlation between 1,3-β-D-glucan and insomnia severity index. Our findings suggest that 1,3-β-D-glucan may indicate gut microbiome imbalance in people with CID and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic insomnia by activating the NLRP3/IL-1β inflammasome pathway. These results highlight the potential for dual therapeutic strategies targeting gut microbiota modulation and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition to disrupt the neuroinflammatory cascade driving chronic insomnia.