Division of Medical Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2012 Jun;205(2):209-23. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2012.02410.x. Epub 2012 Feb 3.
The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities associated with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. Apart from its powerful antioxidant properties, the pineal gland hormone melatonin has recently attracted the interest of various investigators as a multifunctional molecule. Melatonin has been shown to have beneficial effects in cardiovascular disorders including ischaemic heart disease and hypertension. However, its role in cardiovascular risk factors including obesity and other related metabolic abnormalities is not yet established, particularly in humans. New emerging data show that melatonin may play an important role in body weight regulation and energy metabolism. This review will address the role of melatonin in the MetS focusing on its effects in obesity, insulin resistance and leptin resistance. The overall findings suggest that melatonin should be exploited as a therapeutic tool to prevent or reverse the harmful effects of obesity and its related metabolic disorders.
代谢综合征（MetS）是一组与心血管疾病风险增加相关的代谢异常。除了其强大的抗氧化特性外，松果腺激素褪黑素最近引起了众多研究人员的兴趣，被视为一种多功能分子。褪黑素已被证明对包括缺血性心脏病和高血压在内的心血管疾病具有有益作用。然而，其在肥胖等心血管危险因素及其他相关代谢异常中的作用尚未确定，尤其是在人类中。新出现的数据表明，褪黑素可能在体重调节和能量代谢中发挥重要作用。本综述将探讨褪黑素在 MetS 中的作用，重点关注其在肥胖、胰岛素抵抗和瘦素抵抗中的作用。总体研究结果表明，褪黑素可作为一种治疗工具加以利用，以预防或逆转肥胖及其相关代谢紊乱的有害影响。
