5.1. Melatonin and Vitamin D
Melatonin is synthetized from the amino-acid tryptophan via serotonin (5-HT) and its normal release is timed by input from the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the hypothalamus [
154,
155]. Once synthesised, melatonin is released into the circulation and, due to its high solubility in water and lipids, can penetrate the cell membrane and reach various body fluids such as saliva, urine and CSF via the BBB [
156,
157]. In humans, melatonin expresses its biological effects via two specific receptors: MT1 and MT2 [
158,
159]. The membrane receptor for melatonin MT1 is expressed in various areas of the brain including the SCN [
160], hippocampus, cerebellum, amygdala and hypothalamus [
161], and also in peripheral tissues such as the pancreas cells, retina and immune system [
162,
163,
164]. The MT2 receptor, on the other hand, is mainly expressed in peripheral tissues and, secondarily, in the brain [
165,
166,
167]. Its release by pineal gland occurs with the arrival of darkness and is also associated with a fall in body temperature [
168]. Specifically, melatonin levels in plasma have regular ups and downs within the 24 hours period [
155] with night concentrations 3-10 times higher than the daytime with its secretion beginning at 21:00-22:00 h and the peak reached between 03:00 and 04:00 h. The decrease in melatonin plasma levels starts between 07:00 and 09:00 in the morning [
155,
169,
170,
171].
Research over the last decade on MS led to greater awareness of melatonin for its ability in acting as a strong antioxidant, immune active agent and mitochondria regulator [
172,
173]. Melatonin levels are associated with neuroimmunological diseases and are inversely correlated with MS severity and relapses [
174,
175,
176,
177,
178]. In MS patients it has been observed low levels of melatonin in urine and blood related to fatigue and disability [
179,
180,
181].
Recent works suggest that melatonin supplementation could have beneficial effects in MS due to its role in anti-inflammatory mechanisms and oxidative stress reduction [
172], as observed in some clinical data showing that the melatonin administration at low doses was associated with better quality of life [
182] and reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in MS patients [
183,
184]. Furthermore, melatonin supplementation reduced inflammatory compounds, such as TNFα and IL-6 with a more significant effect at a dosage of 10 mg/day (or more) for three months (or more) [
185]. It is known that IL-6 is associated with MS and increases Th17 levels contributing to processes related to neuro-inflammation [
186]. At epigenetic level, melatonin is able to down-regulate IL-6 inhibiting some crucial immune-inflammatory processes in MS and also inhibits the permeability of the BBB and the deleterious peripheral and central immune and inflammatory processes [
187,
188,
189]. Melatonin seems to reduce pathogenic inflammation also decreasing Th17 cells and IL-17 cytokines increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10 and T regulatory cells [
190]. It is possible that melatonin could provide a more protective microenvironment for cytokines [
191].
A recent review synthetized literature evidence on the evaluation of melatonin action mechanisms on inflammation and oxidative stress due to MS and the interaction among melatonin and several crucial factors that could influence MS pathophysiology [
192]. It emerges that biomarkers of oxidative stress were reduced in all studies considered indendently from the dosage (3-25 mg) and duration of administration (1 month-1 year) [
183,
193,
194,
195]. With regard to inflammation-related parameters, the results differed with regard to the effects of melatonin on proinflammatory cytokine levels: with the dose of 25 mg/day for 6 months there was a reduction in TNFα, IL-1 and IL-6 levels [
183], but there were no changes in TNFα in another study after melatonin treatment of 3 mg/day for 6 months, although a reduction in IL-1ß levels was observed [
184]. Furthermore, the dose of 3 mg/day did not show changes on clinical outcome, functional disability and development of brain lesions [
196], suggesting that it should be necessary to administer high doses of melatonin, in order to reduce clinical activity of MS.
Thus, the effects of melatonin on oxidative stress have been noted in some studies. In MS, the increase in inflammatory cytokines following the infiltration of macrophages and lymphocytes into the CNS increases ROS generation, which further promotes inflammation leading to oxidative stress [
197]. Among the many consequences of oxidative stress are increased production of lipid peroxidation (LPO), damage to nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and subsequent disturbances associated with its own mechanisms of replication and cellular tissue damage and walls and increased protein carbonylation (CO) [
198,
199,
200,
201]. Given these mechanisms, melatonin could act as an antioxidant by reducing macromolecular damage in all organs and the main biomarkers associated with oxidative stress [
202,
203], such as CP, LPO, nitric oxide (NO) [
195,
204,
205,
206].
Melatonin also appears to be able to counteract the damage linked to mitochondrial dysfunction in MS. Oxidative stress could lead to mutations and deletions in mtDNA due to the damage caused by ROS affecting energy metabolism and ATP production [
207,
208,
209]. Melatonin is said to be able to stabilise the inner mitochondrial membrane by improving electron transport chain activity and reducing oxygen consumption [
203,
210]. In addition, melatonin would implement its beneficial effect by acting as a protective factor, by increasing oxidative phosphorylation required for activation of the melatonergic pattern of mitochondria [
211] and by increasing the activity of enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation and optimising mitochondrial function, such as NADH-coenzyme Q redictase (Complex I) and cytochrome C oxidase (Complex IV) [
204,
212,
213,
214,
215].
A recent study investigated the effects of melatonin intake on sleep quality and sleep disturbances in MS patients [
216]. Thirty MS patients underwent to melatonin supplementation or placebo for a two-week period and vice versa in the following two weeks. During the second and fourth week they wore an actigraph to measure total sleep time and sleep efficiency and self-reported clinical outcomes were acquired. The results of the study showed that melatonin supplementation between 0.5 and 3 mg/day significantly improved total sleep time and there was also a trend for improved sleep efficiency in those taking melatonin compared to placebo. There were no statistically significant differences in patient-reported outcomes, although there was a trend for a decrease in insomnia severity in those taking melatonin.
Another aspect to be discussed is the relationship between sleep and vitamin D with regard to MS. Until a few years ago, the effects of vitamin D were attributed exclusively to phosphocalcic metabolism [
217], but it is now known that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for MS and is also correlated with its severity [
218,
219,
220].
There are two forms of vitamin D: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) produced by some plants in response to UV radiation and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) synthesised in the skin of humans and animals via UV irradiation of 7-dehydrcholesterol to provitamin D3, the biologically more active form [
221,
222].
Vitamin D undergoes two steps of hydroxylation: first in the liver to 25(OH)D, the most abundant 'pre-hormone' in serum and measured in serum tests, and then in the kidney, to a potent metabolite 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), which also plays a role in inflammatory and immunological function [
223]. Locally produced 1,25(OH)2D in immune type cells has effects on the innate, adaptive and humoral immune systems by promoting the innate immune system response, inhibiting humoral and cell-mediated immunity with anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects [
223,
224]. The way these effects are mediated is via vitamin D receptors and vitamin D-responsive elements found in the promoter regions of many genes [
225]. There is evidence that 1,25(OH)2D in vitro inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory Th1 cytokines and stimulates Treg activity [
226]. Although the biological basis of the relationship between vitamin D and MS is not yet known, studies are mainly investigating two fronts: the possible association between vitamin D and the risk of inflammation and the possible role of vitamin D in myelinisation and remyelination processes [
227,
228].
Vitamin D metabolism is present in the CNS, is involved in myelinisation and may be influenced by many external factors such as exposure to sunlight, diet and vitamin D supplementation [
228].
The mechanisms by which vitamin D could influence MS are numerous. Immunological effects are mainly implicated in the inflammatory period of MS, but other types of mechanisms, in parallel, also have neurological and central effects [
229]. The role of vitamin D associated with the immune system is immunomodulatory and includes different categories of T lymphocytes, B cells and certain cytokines [
230,
231,
232,
233]. Vitamin D supplementation could be immunologically beneficial as it decreases pro-inflammatory lymphocytes Th17 and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17 and is able to attenuate B-cell immunoreactivity and, conversely, stimulates Treg and a type of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (anti-inflammatory cytokine) [
234,
235,
236,
237,
238].
In addition to immunomodulatory properties, effects concerning the CNS have also been found: vitamin D enters many CNS cell types, such as microglia, neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes that have receptors for vitamin D. Vitamin D is said to play a role in neuroprotection, remyelination and axonal degeneration in MS patients [
239,
240]. Evidence on vitamin D administration in MS suggests that a moderate dose taken orally would be recommended for all types of MS (between 2000 and 4000 IU/d) [
241,
242].
Some lines of research, although evidence is rather scarce, are considering a possible relationship between sleep and vitamin D associated with autoimmune diseases. The rationale is that these diseases are mediated by alterations in immunomodulation, increased susceptibility to infection, and increased levels of inflammatory substances, including those related to sleep regulation, such as TNFα and prostaglandin2 (PD2) [
243]. Furthermore, inadequate vitamin D levels could have an effect in the development of daytime symptoms commonly associated with sleep disorders [
243]. In relation to sleep, intranuclear vitamin D receptors and retinoid X receptors (VDR-RXR) heterodimers downregulate the transcription of RelB, a gene encoding the RelB protein, belonging to the family of transcription factors that collectively refer to NFkB [
244], which plays a pivotal pro-inflammatory role both in terms of the production of sleep-regulating substances, such as IL-1 and TNF-alpha [
245] and in activating inflammatory patterns known to appear in the setting of intermittent hypoxia, as observed in OSA [
246].
At the clinical level, there is little evidence that has directly evaluated the role of vitamin D metabolism in the presentation of sleep-related daytime symptoms or sleep disorders. One study showed that a woman with hypersomnia reported a complete resolution of daytime hypersomnolence following treatment for vitamin D insufficiency [
247], suggesting that an alteration in systemic metabolism associated with low vitamin D levels may have promoted sleepiness via a central signalling mechanism. Another finding linking the symptom of drowsiness with vitamin D is the significant association between drowsiness and 25(OH)D in patients who complained of chronic musculoskeletal pain [
248].
Other more recent evidence suggests the role of vitamin D in sleep regulation with the finding of an association between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of sleep disturbances, general sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [
249,
250,
251].
A recent meta-analysis has suggested that vitamin D supplementation is useful for improving sleep quality, while further investigation is needed to assess its effects on sleep quantity and sleep disorders [
252]. The same evidence also highlights which mechanisms might be involved in direct and indirect vitamin D association to sleep. One potential mechanism could be the extensive presence of vitamin D receptors also present in areas implicated in sleep regulation [
253]. Furthermore, in areas implicated in sleep regulation, such as the substantia nigra and the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus, expression enzymes implicated in vitamin D activation and degradation (25OHD and 1-hydroxylase and 24-CYP24A1) would be present [
253,
254]. Another possible mechanism is related to vitamin D as an immunomodulatory molecule playing a role in the downregulation of inflammatory markers implicated in sleep regulation, such as TNFα, cytokines, PD2 and, in the case of vitamin D deficiency, some inflammatory markers could increase with deleterious effects on sleep [
255].
Furthermore, the relationship could also be due to sunlight influencing both vitamin D and sleep-wake rhythm [
256,
257,
258,
259]. Melatonin production is regulated by vitamin D, so abnormal levels of vitamin D may decrease melatonin levels leading to sleep disturbances [
154,
260]. Recent evidence has suggested that vitamin D and melatonin would be two sides of the same coin having a major impact on many aspects of life and health [
261].
The synthesis pattern of melatonin and vitamin D is said to be opposite: vitamin D begins to be produced by the skin during exposure to light and sunlight, while melatonin synthesis by the pineal gland begins in the absence of light [
217]. Although their biosynthesis systems are opposites, vitamin D and melatonin share the ability to act as powerful modulators of the immune system with anti-inflammatory properties as they are both light-dependent mediators [
262]. It has been suggested that MS could represent a kind of cornerstone between them that could establish their mutual connection [
217].
It is precisely the link between vitamin D and melatonin that could play a role in MS, as suggested by Golan and co-workers [
262] which hypothesised that vitamin D and melatonin might have related influences in MS patients, in particular basing on the assumption that they are both light-dependent mediators and have shared immunomodulatory properties. The study was conducted in MS patients treated with IFN-ß and the experimental protocol involved a subgroup of patients taking a low dose of vitamin D3 daily (800 IU) and another subgroup receiving a considered high dose daily (4,370 IU) for one year. At baseline, after 3 months and after 12 months, 25(OH)D levels in serum and melatonin metabolites (6-SMT) in urine were measured. After 3 months, 25(OH)D levels increased and nocturnal melatonin secretion decreased significantly in MS patients taking high-dose vitamin D3, but not in those taking low-dose vitamin D3. After one year there was a decrease in 25(OH)D levels (probably due to seasonal climatic changes) accompanied by an increase in 6-SMT in the urine at night in the group taking high-dose vitamin D3. The change in 25(OH)D percentages was significantly negatively correlated with the change in 6-SMT percentages after 3 months and in the period between 3 months and 12 months. Thus, melatonin should be considered as a potential mediator of the neuromodulatory effects of vitamin D in MS patients treated with IFN-ß. What has been hypothesised by the authors is that 25(OH)D and the pineal gland of the CNS would communicate by influencing each other, with 25(OH)D carrying a kind of “light message” to the pineal gland resulting in a decrease in melatonin synthesis.
What emerges, however, is that supplements of melatonin and vitamin D could have beneficial effects in MS, but it is crucial to check their long-term balance, which is fundamental for the fine-tuning of immune cells. In clinical practice, a regular check of their fluctuations in MS patients would be necessary as the effects are considered variable between individuals. The best efficiency could be achieved by balancing both factors [
261].
5.2. Sleep Management and Care in MS Clinical Routine
Given the high incidence of sleep disorders in the MS patient population and given the possible neuroimmunological, neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative mechanisms that may be shared by sleep and MS, it would be conceivable to suggest that, in many cases, treating sleep-related disorders could contribute to improve some of the MS-related symptoms and, consequently, the quality of life of this patient population.
This section discusses some evidence that suggests possible intervention strategies in case of disturbed sleep in MS, but it is necessary to clarify that the first step for clinical practice would be to introduce sleep assessment and monitoring into the clinical-diagnostic routine of the disease, in order to address patients to a specific treatment in case of symptoms attributable to sleep-related problems.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) promotes healthy habits on sleep-related behaviours and suggests strategies to improve psychological processes and cognitive distortions that may contribute to persistent insomnia. There is well established evidence that has shown the effectiveness of CBT-I in cases of insomnia [
263,
264,
265,
266,
267]. Recent data suggest that this approach is also useful in MS patients who also experience psychological comorbidities, such as, for example, depressive states [
268]. Recent work investigated the efficacy of CBT-I in MS by assessing sleep through the use actigraphy and sleep log (a sort of sleep habits recording) [
269]. Following intervention with CBT-I there was an increase in sleep efficiency, a decrease in time spent in bed and variability in sleep efficiency from sleep log data. The objective data recorded by the actigraphy showed, as in the sleep log, a decrease in total bedtime and also a decrease in total sleep time. There would be, therefore, an improvement following CBT-I, but the results are still scarce and not conclusive for the MS patient population.
Recently, the efficacy of tele-health-delivered CBT-I (tele-CBTi) was also evaluated given the possible limitations of patients' access to CBT-i due to possible symptoms such as motor difficulties, fatigue or living in areas that do not allow in-person access to such therapies [
270]. Tele-CBT-i and classical CBT-I showed overlapping outcomes, both being beneficial in terms of lower sleep latency, improved efficiency, lower severity of insomnia level, lower fatigue and lower level of depressive state, all measured subjectively.
In the management of insomnia in MS, it is necessary to consider not only the aspects of the disease that can cause insomnia, but also the pharmacological treatments that patients assume to treat MS. For instance, patients treated with IFNß (immunotherapy) complain of symptoms such as drowsiness, tiredness, reduced sleep efficiency and flu-like side effects that can be linked to the treatment [
271,
272]. In this regard, recent work compared self-reported sleep quality and sleep patterns measured with actigraphy in MS patients treated with IFNß for more than 6 months (also comparing drug-free nights and nights following drug intake) and control subjects [
273]. The results showed that MS patients had lower self-perceived sleep efficiency, longer sleep latency, higher objective sleep efficiency and more frequent intra-night awakenings than controls. When compared, the drug-free night and the night following treatment with IFNß, the sole significant difference was the total bedtime, which was greater on the night following drug treatment. These results suggest that IFNß may also contribute to sleep disturbances and, therefore, screening with objective measures in case of drug assumption would be useful. Such a case, for instance, it would be possible to minimise some effects by shifting the time of administration from the evening to the morning hours [
271,
274].
In case of SDB, the issue is often complicated, as breathing disorders are generally under-diagnosed and, in the case of MS, it is even more difficult to establish whether it is a primary sleep disorder or whether it may depend on another set of comorbidities that may or not be related to MS. In this case, the diagnostic phase of identifying the primary apnoea subtype, the severity of apnoea events and other specific MS-related symptoms is crucial [
274]. Thus, at the diagnostic stage, the patient should undergo PSG to assess sleep apnoea levels and MSLT to assess excessive daytime sleepiness and the possibility of narcolepsy [
275]. The therapy of choice for OSA is continuous positive air pressure (CPAP), which uses a mechanical device to keep the upper airway pervious during sleep. It has been found to improve oxygen saturation during the night also having beneficial effects on fatigue in MS patients [
276].
No specific treatment guidelines exist for RLS in MS patients, but treatments should be based on the patient's symptoms and any comorbidities [
274]. As for any other patients, dopaminergic (first-line) agents, anticonvulsants, opioids, benzodiazepines and treatment of iron deficiency are generally indicated, but any treatment choice must consider not only MS-related symptoms but also the patient's ongoing MS therapy [277].
In presence of circadian rhythm disorders, there are no specific treatments for MS patients, but the same strategies of scheduled daytime sleep, bright light exposure and supplementation of melatonin are suggested as for other types of patients.
A study investigated for the first time the relationship between physical activity and sleep characteristics in MS patients [278], assessing sleep by using actigraphy and physical activity levels with a mobile accelerometer. The results showed a positive relationship between physical activity and sleep parameters. Specifically, total sleep time correlated positively with light and moderate levels of physical activity. moderate physical activity (physical activity or exercise for 30 minutes a day) was also correlated with better sleep quality, while light physical activity was correlated with a higher number of intra-night awakenings. More recently, another work investigated the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and home-based exercise (control group) on sleep characteristics by measuring sleep-related biomarkers, such as serotonin, melatonin and cortisol in MS patients [
6]. Those who performed moderate-intensity aerobic exercise had a significant improvement in self-reported sleep quality, in the degree of insomnia severity and in some objective parameters measured by actigraphy. Among the biomarkers, only serotonin increased, with higher levels in the patients who engaged in aerobic exercise than in the control group, and the change in serotonin levels correlated with changes in sleep quality and insomnia severity index only in the group of patients who engaged in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.
Beyond specific sleep disorders, sleep quality in MS patients was also assessed by investigating patients' sleep hygiene habits in a descriptive correlational study [279]. The correlations examined the relationship of fatigue and other MS-related symptoms with sleep quality and sleep hygiene behaviours (patients were asked to state how often they engaged in sleep hygiene behaviours (watching TV, eating, drinking, smoking, etc.) in the period immediately before sleep. The results showed that MS-related symptoms were correlated with poor sleep hygiene behaviour, confirming previous works [
272,280].
A schematic representation of possible sleep-based interventions in MS is shown in
Figure 2.