Endocannabinoids, endocannabinoid-like compounds and cortisone in head hair of health care workers as markers of stress and resilience during the early COVID-19 pandemic

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Ingeborg Biener - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Tonina T Mueller - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Jin Lin - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Han Bao - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Julius Steffen - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Marion Hoerl - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Katharina Biere - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Sandra Matzel - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Tobias Woehrle - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Simon König - , Institut für Dopinganalytik und Sportbiochemie Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Annekathrin M Keiler - , Institut für Dopinganalytik und Sportbiochemie Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Detlef Thieme - , Institut für Dopinganalytik und Sportbiochemie Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Oliver Keppler - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Matthias Klein - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Tobias Weinberger - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Andreas Osterman - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Kristina Adorjan - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)
  • Alexander Choukér - , Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München (Autor:in)

Abstract

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 impacted health systems globally, creating increased workload and mental stress upon health care workers (HCW). During the first pandemic wave (March to May 2020) in southern Germany, we investigated the impact of stress and the resilience to stress in HCW by measuring changes in hair concentrations of endocannabinoids, endocannabinoid-like compounds and cortisone. HCW (n = 178) recruited from multiple occupation and worksites in the LMU-University-Hospital in Munich were interviewed at four interval visits to evaluate mental stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. A strand of hair of up to 6 cm in length was sampled once in May 2020, which enabled retrospective individual stress hormone quantifications during that aforementioned time period. Perceived anxiety and impact on mental health were demonstrated to be higher at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and decreased significantly thereafter. Resilience was stable over time, but noted to be lower in women than in men. The concentrations of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA) and the structural congeners N-palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), N-oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and N-stearoylethanolamide (SEA) were noted to have decreased significantly over the course of the pandemic. In contrast, the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) levels increased significantly and were found to be higher in nurses, laboratory staff and hospital administration than in physicians. PEA was significantly higher in subjects with a higher resilience but lower in subjects with anxiety. SEA was also noted to be reduced in subjects with anxiety. Nurses had significantly higher cortisone levels than physicians, while female subjects had significant lower cortisone levels than males. Hair samples provided temporal and measurable objective psychophysiological-hormonal information. The hair endocannabinoids/endocannabinoid-like compounds and cortisone correlated to each other and to professions, age and sex quite differentially, relative to specific periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer71
Seiten (von - bis)71
FachzeitschriftTranslational psychiatry
Jahrgang14
Ausgabenummer1
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 31 Jan. 2024
Peer-Review-StatusJa
Extern publiziertJa

Externe IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-2157-4711/work/152545565
unpaywall 10.1038/s41398-024-02771-9
Scopus 85184141690

Schlagworte

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Schlagwörter

  • COVID-19, Cortisone/analysis, Endocannabinoids, Female, Hair/chemistry, Health Personnel, Humans, Male, Pandemics, Resilience, Psychological, Retrospective Studies, SARS-CoV-2