Department of Clinical Nutrition Medical University of Lodz.
Endokrynol Pol. 2013;64(2):114-20.
Melatonin (MEL) exerts beneficial effects on the gut partly by myorelaxative properties upon the smooth muscle. Its secretion decreases with age, particularly in postmenopausal women. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of MEL on the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in this group of patients.
The investigations were carried out in 80 postmenopausal women, aged 48-65 years, divided into two equal groups, diagnosed according to Rome Criteria III: i.e. patients with IBS with constipation predominant (IBS-C), and patients with IBS with diarrhoea predominant (IBS-D). The control group (C) included healthy women aged 46-65 years. In all subjects, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (6-HMS) concentration urine was measured using ELISA assay. Patients in both groups over the course of six months were given melatonin (at a dose of 3 mg fasting and 5 mg at bedtime) or a placebo (double blind trial). Disease activity was evaluated after two, four and six months, using a ten-point scale to assess the main somatic symptoms: visceral pain, abdominal bloating, etc.
The amounts of 6-HMS urine excretion (μg/24 h) were: C 11.4 ± 3.0, IBS-C 10.2 ± 3.2, IBS-D 14.0 ± 6.3 (p 〈 0.05). Correlation between values of symptoms score and contrary excretion of 6-HMS: IBS-C r = -0.714, IBS-D r = 0.409. After six months in the IBS-C group, the intensity of visceral pain and abdominal bloating had decreased in 70% of patients (p 〈 0.01) and constipation in 50% of patients (p 〈 0.05). Beneficial changes in the IBS-D group were noted in 45% of patients, but this was not better compared to the placebo.
Melatonin can be used as part of the treatment of IBS, particularly in patients with constipation-predominant IBS.
褪黑素（MEL）通过对平滑肌的肌松作用对肠道发挥有益作用。其分泌随年龄的增长而减少，尤其是绝经后妇女。本研究旨在评估 MEL 对该组患者肠易激综合征（IBS）症状的影响。
这项研究在 80 名年龄在 48-65 岁之间的绝经后妇女中进行，她们根据罗马标准 III 分为两组：即便秘型 IBS（IBS-C）和腹泻型 IBS（IBS-D）患者。对照组（C）包括年龄在 46-65 岁之间的健康女性。在所有受试者中，使用 ELISA 法测量尿液中 6-硫酸褪黑素（6-HMS）浓度。两组患者在 6 个月的时间内均给予褪黑素（空腹 3mg，睡前 5mg）或安慰剂（双盲试验）。在两个月、四个月和六个月后，使用十分制评估主要躯体症状：内脏疼痛、腹胀等疾病活动度。
6-HMS 尿排泄量（μg/24h）分别为：C 组 11.4 ± 3.0、IBS-C 组 10.2 ± 3.2、IBS-D 组 14.0 ± 6.3（p 〈 0.05）。症状评分值与相反的 6-HMS 排泄值之间的相关性：IBS-C r = -0.714，IBS-D r = 0.409。在 IBS-C 组中，经过 6 个月的治疗，70%的患者内脏疼痛和腹胀强度降低（p 〈 0.01），50%的患者便秘缓解（p 〈 0.05）。IBS-D 组有 45%的患者出现有益变化，但与安慰剂组相比并无改善。
褪黑素可用作 IBS 治疗的一部分，特别是在便秘型 IBS 患者中。
