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Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2018Melatonin is a natural indoleamine produced by the pineal gland that has many functions, including regulation of the circadian rhythm. Many studies have reported the... (Review)
Review
Melatonin is a natural indoleamine produced by the pineal gland that has many functions, including regulation of the circadian rhythm. Many studies have reported the anticancer effect of melatonin against a myriad of cancer types. Cancer hallmarks include sustained proliferation, evading growth suppressors, metastasis, replicative immortality, angiogenesis, resisting cell death, altered cellular energetics, and immune evasion. Melatonin anticancer activity is mediated by interfering with various cancer hallmarks. This review summarizes the anticancer role of melatonin in each cancer hallmark. The studies discussed in this review should serve as a solid foundation for researchers and physicians to support basic and clinical studies on melatonin as a promising anticancer agent.
Topics: Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Disease Progression; Genomic Instability; Humans; Melatonin; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Neoplasms; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Signal Transduction; Tumor Escape
PubMed: 29495398
DOI: 10.3390/molecules23030518 -
Cells Mar 2023Melatonin is a neurohormone that is mainly secreted by the pineal gland. It coordinates the work of the superior biological clock and consequently affects many processes... (Review)
Review
Melatonin is a neurohormone that is mainly secreted by the pineal gland. It coordinates the work of the superior biological clock and consequently affects many processes in the human body. Disorders of the waking and sleeping period result in nervous system imbalance and generate metabolic and endocrine derangements. The purpose of this review is to provide information regarding the potential benefits of melatonin use, particularly in kidney diseases. The impact on the cardiovascular system, diabetes, and homeostasis causes melatonin to be indirectly connected to kidney function and quality of life in people with chronic kidney disease. Moreover, there are numerous reports showing that melatonin plays a role as an antioxidant, free radical scavenger, and cytoprotective agent. This means that the supplementation of melatonin can be helpful in almost every type of kidney injury because inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress occur, regardless of the mechanism. The administration of melatonin has a renoprotective effect and inhibits the progression of complications connected to renal failure. It is very important that exogenous melatonin supplementation is well tolerated and that the number of side effects caused by this type of treatment is low.
Topics: Humans; Melatonin; Quality of Life; Antioxidants; Kidney; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
PubMed: 36980179
DOI: 10.3390/cells12060838 -
Cells Mar 2020Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most intransigent and aggressive brain tumors, and its treatment is extremely challenging and ineffective. To improve patients'... (Review)
Review
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most intransigent and aggressive brain tumors, and its treatment is extremely challenging and ineffective. To improve patients' expectancy and quality of life, new therapeutic approaches were investigated. Melatonin is an endogenous indoleamine with an incredible variety of properties. Due to evidence demonstrating melatonin's activity against several cancer hallmarks, there is growing interest in its use for preventing and treating cancer. In this review, we report on the potential effects of melatonin, alone or in combination with anticancer drugs, against GBM. We also summarize melatonin targets and/or the intracellular pathways involved. Moreover, we describe melatonin's epigenetic activity responsible for its antineoplastic effects. To date, there are too few clinical studies (involving a small number of patients) investigating the antineoplastic effects of melatonin against GBM. Nevertheless, these studies described improvement of GBM patients' quality of life and did not show significant adverse effects. In this review, we also report on studies regarding melatonin-like molecules with the tumor-suppressive properties of melatonin together with implemented pharmacokinetics. Melatonin effects and mechanisms of action against GBM require more research attention due to the unquestionably high potential of this multitasking indoleamine in clinical practice.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Central Nervous System Depressants; Glioblastoma; Humans; Melatonin; Quality of Life
PubMed: 32138190
DOI: 10.3390/cells9030599 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2024Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an indolamine hormone with many physiological and biological roles. Melatonin is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, free... (Review)
Review
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an indolamine hormone with many physiological and biological roles. Melatonin is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, free radical scavenger, circadian rhythm regulator, and sleep hormone. However, its most popular role is the ability to regulate sleep through the circadian rhythm. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that melatonin is an important and essential hormone during pregnancy, specifically in the placenta. This is primarily due to the placenta's ability to synthesize its own melatonin rather than depending on the pineal gland. During pregnancy, melatonin acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which is necessary to ensure a stable environment for both the mother and the fetus. It is an essential antioxidant in the placenta because it reduces oxidative stress by constantly scavenging for free radicals, i.e., maintain the placenta's integrity. In a healthy pregnancy, the maternal immune system is constantly altered to accommodate the needs of the growing fetus, and melatonin acts as a key anti-inflammatory by regulating immune homeostasis during early and late gestation. This literature review aims to identify and summarize melatonin's role as a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that reduces oxidative stress and inflammation to maintain a favorable homeostatic environment in the placenta throughout gestation.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Melatonin; Antioxidants; Placenta; Free Radical Scavengers; Anti-Inflammatory Agents
PubMed: 38361952
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1339304 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2022Melatonin, -acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine, is a hormone that synchronizes the internal environment with the photoperiod. It is synthesized in the pineal gland and greatly... (Review)
Review
Melatonin, -acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine, is a hormone that synchronizes the internal environment with the photoperiod. It is synthesized in the pineal gland and greatly depends on the endogenous circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the retina's exposure to different light intensities. Among its most studied functions are the regulation of the waking-sleep rhythm and body temperature. Furthermore, melatonin has pleiotropic actions, which affect, for instance, the modulation of the immune and the cardiovascular systems, as well as the neuroprotection achieved by scavenging free radicals. Recent research has supported that melatonin contributes to neuronal survival, proliferation, and differentiation, such as dendritogenesis and axogenesis, and its processes are similar to those caused by Nerve Growth Factor, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Neurotrophin-3, and Neurotrophin-4/5. Furthermore, this indolamine has apoptotic and anti-inflammatory actions in specific brain regions akin to those exerted by neurotrophic factors. This review presents evidence suggesting melatonin's role as a neurotrophic factor, describes the signaling pathways involved in these processes, and, lastly, highlights the therapeutic implications involved.
Topics: Melatonin; Pineal Gland; Nerve Growth Factors; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus; Sleep; Transforming Growth Factor beta
PubMed: 36431847
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27227742 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2018Phytomelatonin (plant melatonin) is chemically related to the amino acid tryptophan and has many diverse properties. Phytomelatonin is an interesting compound due to its... (Review)
Review
Phytomelatonin (plant melatonin) is chemically related to the amino acid tryptophan and has many diverse properties. Phytomelatonin is an interesting compound due to its outstanding actions at the cellular and physiological level, especially its protective effect in plants exposed to diverse stress situations, while its vegetable origin offers many opportunities because it is a natural compound. We present an overview of its origin, its action in plants in general (particularly in plant species with high levels of phytomelatonin), and its possibilities for use as a nutraceutical with particular attention paid to the beneficial effects that it may have in human health. The differences between synthetic melatonin and phytomelatonin, according to its origin and purity, are presented. Finally, the current market for phytomelatonin and its limits and potentials are discussed.
Topics: Dietary Supplements; Humans; Melatonin; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Plant Growth Regulators; Plants
PubMed: 29361780
DOI: 10.3390/molecules23010238 -
International Journal of Molecular... Feb 2022Melatonin interacts with various types of stem cells, in multiple ways that comprise stimulation of proliferation, maintenance of stemness and self-renewal, protection... (Review)
Review
Melatonin interacts with various types of stem cells, in multiple ways that comprise stimulation of proliferation, maintenance of stemness and self-renewal, protection of survival, and programming toward functionally different cell lineages. These various properties are frequently intertwined but may not be always jointly present. Melatonin typically stimulates proliferation and transition to the mature cell type. For all sufficiently studied stem or progenitor cells, melatonin's signaling pathways leading to expression of respective morphogenetic factors are discussed. The focus of this article will be laid on the aspect of programming, particularly in pluripotent cells. This is especially but not exclusively the case in neural stem cells (NSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Concerning developmental bifurcations, decisions are not exclusively made by melatonin alone. In MSCs, melatonin promotes adipogenesis in a Wnt (Wingless-Integration-1)-independent mode, but chondrogenesis and osteogenesis Wnt-dependently. Melatonin upregulates Wnt, but not in the adipogenic lineage. This decision seems to depend on microenvironment and epigenetic memory. The decision for chondrogenesis instead of osteogenesis, both being Wnt-dependent, seems to involve fibroblast growth factor receptor 3. Stem cell-specific differences in melatonin and Wnt receptors, and contributions of transcription factors and noncoding RNAs are outlined, as well as possibilities and the medical importance of re-programming for transdifferentiation.
Topics: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cell Lineage; Cellular Reprogramming; Humans; Melatonin; Stem Cells
PubMed: 35216086
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23041971 -
Translational Psychiatry Oct 2023Depression is a common chronic psychiatric illness, which is resistant to medical treatments. While melatonin may alleviate certain depression symptoms, evidence for its...
Depression is a common chronic psychiatric illness, which is resistant to medical treatments. While melatonin may alleviate certain depression symptoms, evidence for its efficacy against core symptoms is lacking. Here, we tested a mechanism whereby melatonin rescues the behavioral outcomes of the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mouse model of depression. CUMS mice showed depressive behaviors to tail suspension, open field behavior, and sucrose preference test, and cognitive dysfunction in the Morris water maze. Impairments in these measures were relieved by melatonin treatment. Moreover, CUMS mice had impaired glymphatic function across the sleep-wake cycle due to the astrocytic loss and disturbance of circadian regulation of the polarized expression of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels in perivascular astrocytes. EEG results in CUMS mice showed a reduced total sleep time and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, due to sleep fragmentation in the light phase. CUMS mice lost the normal rhythmic expressions of circadian proteins Per2, Cry2, Bmal1, Clock, and Per1. However, the melatonin treatment restored glymphatic system function and the polarization of AQP4, while improving sleep structure, and rectifying the abnormal expression of Per2, Bmal1, Clock, and Per1 in CUMS mice. Interestingly, Per2 expression correlated negatively with the polarization of AQP4. Further studies demonstrated that Per2 directed the location of AQP4 expression via interactions with the α-dystrobrevin (Dtna) subunit of AQP4 in primary cultured astrocytes. In conclusion, we report a new mechanism whereby melatonin improves depression outcomes by regulating the expression of the circadian protein Per2, maintaining the circadian rhythm of astrocytic AQP4 polarization, and restoring glymphatic function.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Melatonin; Depression; ARNTL Transcription Factors; Circadian Rhythm; Cognitive Dysfunction
PubMed: 37802998
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02614-z -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2017Melatonin is catabolized both enzymatically and nonenzymatically. Nonenzymatic processes mediated by free radicals, singlet oxygen, other reactive intermediates such as... (Review)
Review
Melatonin is catabolized both enzymatically and nonenzymatically. Nonenzymatic processes mediated by free radicals, singlet oxygen, other reactive intermediates such as HOCl and peroxynitrite, or pseudoenzymatic mechanisms are not species- or tissue-specific, but vary considerably in their extent. Higher rates of nonenzymatic melatonin metabolism can be expected upon UV exposure, e.g., in plants and in the human skin. Additionally, melatonin is more strongly nonenzymatically degraded at sites of inflammation. Typical products are several hydroxylated derivatives of melatonin and ¹-acetyl-²-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AFMK). Most of these products are also formed by enzymatic catalysis. Considerable taxon- and site-specific differences are observed in the main enzymatic routes of catabolism. Formation of 6-hydroxymelatonin by cytochrome P subforms are prevailing in vertebrates, predominantly in the liver, but also in the brain. In pineal gland and non-mammalian retina, deacetylation to 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MT) plays a certain role. This pathway is quantitatively prevalent in dinoflagellates, in which 5-MT induces cyst formation and is further converted to 5-methoxyindole-3-acetic acid, an end product released to the water. In plants, the major route is catalyzed by melatonin 2-hydroxylase, whose product is tautomerized to 3-acetamidoethyl-3-hydroxy-5-methoxyindolin-2-one (AMIO), which exceeds the levels of melatonin. Formation and properties of various secondary products are discussed.
Topics: Acetylation; Animals; Catalysis; Humans; Hydroxylation; Melatonin; Metabolic Networks and Pathways
PubMed: 29160833
DOI: 10.3390/molecules22112015 -
Current Neuropharmacology Mar 2022Melatonin, a vital hormone synthesized by the pineal gland, has been implicated in various physiological functions and circadian rhythm regulation. Its role in the... (Review)
Review
Melatonin, a vital hormone synthesized by the pineal gland, has been implicated in various physiological functions and circadian rhythm regulation. Its role in the protection against the non-ionizing electromagnetic field (EMF), known to disrupt the body's oxidative/anti-oxidative balance, has been called into question due to inconsistent results observed across studies. This review provides the current knowledge on the interwoven relationship between melatonin, EMF, and oxidative stress. Based on synthesized evidence, we present a model that best describes the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of melatonin against RF/ELF-EMF-induced oxidative stress. It has been observed that the free radical scavenger activity of melatonin can be enabled by reducing the radical pair singlet-triplet conversion rate and the concentration of the triplet products. Moreover, this review aims to highlight the potential therapeutic benefits of melatonin against the detrimental effects of EMF, in general, and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), in particular.
Topics: Circadian Rhythm; Electromagnetic Fields; Electromagnetic Radiation; Humans; Melatonin; Oxidative Stress; Pineal Gland
PubMed: 34635042
DOI: 10.2174/1570159X19666210609163946