Prospects of the Clinical Utilization of Melatonin

Autor: Gregory M. Brown, Shiu Fun Pang, Russel J. Reiter, George A. Bubenik, Mohan Viswanathan, David E. Blask, Georges J.M. Maestroni, Nava Zisapel
Rok vydání: 1998
Předmět:
Male
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Receptors
Melatonin
Receptors
Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
Physiology
Pineal Gland
Antioxidants
Pineal gland
Neoplasms
Melatonin
Clinical Trials as Topic
Free Radical Scavengers
Shock
Septic
Growth Inhibitors
Circadian Rhythm
medicine.anatomical_structure
Neurology
Vertebrates
Cytokines
Female
Animal studies
hormones
hormone substitutes
and hormone antagonists
medicine.drug
Sleep Wake Disorders
endocrine system
medicine.medical_specialty
Antineoplastic Agents
Hormonal
Migraine Disorders
Receptors
Cell Surface
Contraceptives
Oral
Hormonal
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Immune system
Adjuvants
Immunologic
Developmental Neuroscience
Internal medicine
medicine
Animals
Humans
Circadian rhythm
business.industry
Neurotoxicity
medicine.disease
Immunopharmacology
Hematopoiesis
Oxidative Stress
Endocrinology
Nervous System Diseases
business
Hormone
Zdroj: Neurosignals. 7:195-219
ISSN: 1424-8638
1424-862X
Popis: This review summarizes the present knowledge on melatonin in several areas on physiology and discusses various prospects of its clinical utilization. Ever increasing evidence indicates that melatonin has an immuno-hematopoietic role. In animal studies, melatonin provided protection against gram-negative septic shock, prevented stress-induced immunodepression, and restored immune function after a hemorrhagic shock. In human studies, melatonin amplified the antitumoral activity of interleukin-2. Melatonin has been proven as a powerful cytostatic drug in vitro as well as in vivo. In the human clinical field, melatonin appears to be a promising agent either as a diagnostic or prognostic marker of neoplastic diseases or as a compound used either alone or in combination with the standard cancer treatment. Utilization of melatonin for treatment of rhythm disorders, such as those manifested in jet lag, shift work or blindness, is one of the oldest and the most successful clinical application of this chemical. Low doses of melatonin applied in controlled-release preparation were very effective in improving the sleep latency, increasing the sleep efficiency and rising sleep quality scores in elderly, melatonin-deficient insomniacs. In the cardiovascular system, melatonin seems to regulate the tone of cerebral arteries; melatonin receptors in vascular beds appear to participate in the regulation of body temperature. Heat loss may be the principal mechanism in the initiation of sleepiness caused by melatonin. The role of melatonin in the development of migraine headaches is at present uncertain but more research could result in new ways of treatment. Melatonin is the major messenger of light-dependent periodicity, implicated in the seasonal reproduction of animals and pubertal development in humans. Multiple receptor sites detected in brain and gonadal tissues of birds and mammals of both sexes indicate that melatonin exerts a direct effect on the vertebrate reproductive organs. In a clinical study, melatonin has been used successfully as an effective female contraceptive with little side effects. Melatonin is one of the most powerful scavengers of free radicals. Because it easily penetrates the blood-brain barrier, this antioxidant may, in the future, be used for the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, stroke, nitric oxide, neurotoxicity and hyperbaric oxygen exposure. In the digestive tract, melatonin reduced the incidence and severity of gastric ulcers and prevented severe symptoms of colitis, such as mucosal lesions and diarrhea.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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