Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece.
First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Diabetes Center, Medical School, Laiko General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Int J Mol Med. 2021 Apr;47(4). doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2021.4880. Epub 2021 Feb 12.
The beneficial properties of the pineal hormone, melatonin, as a neuroprotective and cardioprotective agent, have been previously identified. Furthermore, melatonin plays essential roles in biological rhythms resynchronization, sleep initiation/maintenance and metabolic, ocular, rheumatological diseases. In addition to these functions, melatonin is known to exert immunomodulation, anti‑inflammatory and anti‑oxidative effects. Due to these properties, coupled with its non‑toxic nature, melatonin has been suggested to limit viral infections; however, melatonin cannot be classified as a viricidal drug. In addition, the recent increase in the number of clinical trials on melatonin's role, as an adjuvant treatment for COVID‑19, has resurged the interest of the scientific community in this hormone. The present short review aimed to improve the understanding of the antiviral/anti‑COVID‑19 profile of melatonin and the clinical trials that have recently been conducted, with respect to its co‑administration in treating individuals with COVID‑19.
松果体激素褪黑素具有神经保护和心脏保护作用，这一点已得到先前的证实。此外，褪黑素在生物节律重同步、睡眠启动/维持以及代谢、眼部、风湿性疾病中发挥着重要作用。除了这些功能，褪黑素还具有免疫调节、抗炎和抗氧化作用。由于这些特性，再加上其无毒的特性，褪黑素被认为可以限制病毒感染；然而，褪黑素不能被归类为杀病毒药物。此外，随着越来越多的临床试验研究褪黑素在 COVID-19 中的辅助治疗作用，科学界对这种激素的兴趣再次高涨。本综述旨在提高对褪黑素的抗病毒/抗 COVID-19 特性的理解，并介绍最近开展的临床试验，探讨其在治疗 COVID-19 患者中的联合应用。
