melatonin

Introduction

Melatonin is a hormone primarily produced by the pineal gland in response to the light/dark cycle. It plays a crucial role in regulating circadian rhythms, sleep, and various physiological processes. Beyond its role in sleep regulation, melatonin exhibits antioxidant properties, influences immune responses, and has potential therapeutic applications in treating sleep disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Key Insights

Circadian Rhythm and Sleep Regulation:
- Melatonin is synthesized in the pineal gland and regulated by the light/dark cycle, acting as a "hormone of darkness" to signal nighttime and promote sleep .
- Exogenous melatonin is effective in reducing sleep onset latency and regulating sleep-wake patterns, particularly in primary insomnia, delayed sleep phase syndrome, and non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome in blind individuals .
Antioxidant Properties:
- Melatonin and its metabolites possess strong free radical scavenging properties, reducing oxidative damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA .
- It upregulates antioxidant enzymes and downregulates pro-oxidant enzymes, contributing to its protective effects against oxidative stress .
Immune and Inflammatory Modulation:
- Melatonin regulates inflammatory and immune processes, acting as both an activator and inhibitor of these responses. It modulates pro-inflammatory enzymes and cytokine production, and its antioxidant ability helps in scavenging oxidative stress in inflamed tissues.
Therapeutic Applications:
- Melatonin's chronobiotic properties are valuable in treating circadian rhythm sleep disorders such as jet lag and shift-work sleep disorder .
- It has shown potential in treating neurodegenerative diseases due to its cytoprotective properties and ability to maintain mitochondrial function .
- Prolonged-release melatonin formulations, such as Circadin®, improve sleep quality and latency, especially in older adults, without the adverse effects associated with traditional hypnotics.

Conclusion

Melatonin is a multifaceted hormone with significant roles in regulating circadian rhythms and sleep. Its potent antioxidant properties and ability to modulate immune responses make it a valuable therapeutic agent for various conditions, including sleep disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The diverse physiological functions and therapeutic potential of melatonin underscore its importance in both clinical and research settings.

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Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Melatonin

Melatonin plays a crucial role in circadian rhythm regulation, with potential therapeutic applications in managing sleep-wake cycles and treating seasonal affective disorder.

Melatonin: Nature's most versatile biological signal?

Melatonin plays a crucial role in regulating various body functions, including timekeeping, antioxidant properties, and immune-enhancing effects, and has potential therapeutic applications for various sleep disorders.

Melatonin: a pleiotropic molecule regulating inflammation.

Melatonin regulates inflammation and immune processes, acting as both an activator and inhibitor, with its endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine effects affecting leukocyte lifespan, inflammatory mediator production, and oxidative stress.

Evidence for the efficacy of melatonin in the treatment of primary adult sleep disorders.

Exogenous melatonin shows promising evidence in reducing sleep onset latency in primary insomnia, delayed sleep phase syndrome, and regulating sleep-wake patterns in blind patients compared to placebo.

Melatonin: a well‐documented antioxidant with conditional pro‐oxidant actions

Melatonin is a well-documented antioxidant with potential conditional pro-oxidant actions in cultured cells.

Melatonin: a hormone, a tissue factor, an autocoid, a paracoid, and an antioxidant vitamin

Melatonin, a hormone, tissue factor, autocoid, paracoid, and antioxidant vitamin, has evolved as an antioxidant and acquired various properties in multicellular organisms, including hormonal, tissue factor, and vitamin properties.

Melatonin, a potent agent in antioxidative defense: Actions as a natural food constituent, gastrointestinal factor, drug and prodrug

Melatonin acts as a potent antioxidant by reducing damage from free radicals, enhancing antioxidant enzymes, and enhancing mitochondrial metabolism.

Melatonin as a Hormone: New Physiological and Clinical Insights.

Melatonin plays a crucial role in coordinating behavioral and physiological adaptations to environmental light/dark cycles and seasons, and its therapeutic use is based on its unique biological time-domain-acting properties.

[Melatonin: Physiological and pharmacological aspects related to sleep: The interest of a prolonged-release formulation (Circadin®) in insomnia].

Circadin®, a prolonged-release melatonin preparation, can improve sleep quality and life quality in insomnia patients aged 55 years and older without rebound effects or safety concerns.

Melatonin and mitochondrial function.

Melatonin protects cells from degenerative conditions by preserving mitochondrial integrity and promoting ATP synthesis, potentially benefiting aging, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, sepsis, and other injuries.

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