Kumar C A, Das U N
EFA Sciences LLC, Norwood, Massachusets, USA.
Med Sci Monit. 2000 May-Jun;6(3):471-5.
Melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland, is known to have anti-mutagenic and oncostatic actions. This beneficial action of melatonin has been explained in terms of its ability to scavenge free radicals and augment the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of melatonin on benzo(a)pyrene-induced two stage skin carcinogenesis in mice and observed that it can not only decrease the number of animals bearing papillomas but also the number of papillomas per animal both in the initiation and promotion stages of skin carcinogenesis. It was also found that melatonin treated animals have low levels of lipid peroxides and that it can also prevent the binding of BP or its metabolites to DNA. In view of these evidence, it can be suggested that melatonin may function as an endogenous anti-mutagenic and oncostatic agent.
褪黑素是一种由松果体分泌的激素，已知具有抗诱变和抑癌作用。褪黑素的这种有益作用已根据其清除自由基和增强抗氧化酶活性的能力得到解释。在本研究中，我们评估了褪黑素对苯并(a)芘诱导的小鼠皮肤两阶段致癌作用的影响，观察到它不仅可以减少患乳头状瘤的动物数量，而且在皮肤致癌作用的起始和促进阶段都可以减少每只动物的乳头状瘤数量。还发现褪黑素处理的动物脂质过氧化物水平较低，并且它还可以防止苯并芘或其代谢产物与DNA结合。鉴于这些证据，可以认为褪黑素可能作为一种内源性抗诱变和抑癌剂发挥作用。
