Institute of Innovation and Applied Research, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
The First Hospital, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
Behav Brain Res. 2022 Feb 26;420:113724. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113724. Epub 2021 Dec 18.
Depression has become one of the most commonly prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders, and the main characteristics of depression are sleep disorders and melatonin secretion disorders caused by circadian rhythm disorders. Abnormal endogenous melatonin alterations can contribute to the occurrence and development of depression. However, molecular mechanisms underlying this abnormality remain ambiguous. The present review summarizes the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of melatonin, which is related to its functions in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inhibition of neuroinflammation, inhibition of oxidative stress, alleviation of autophagy, and upregulation of neurotrophic, promotion of neuroplasticity and upregulation of the levels of neurotransmitters, etc. Also, melatonin receptor agonists, such as agomelatine, ramelteon, piromelatine, tasimelteon, and GW117, have received considerable critical attention and are highly implicated in treating depression and comorbid disorders. This review focuses on melatonin and various melatonin receptor agonists in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression, aiming to provide further insight into the pathogenesis of depression and explore potential targets for novel agent development.
抑郁症已成为最常见的神经精神疾病之一，其主要特征是由昼夜节律紊乱引起的睡眠障碍和褪黑素分泌紊乱。异常的内源性褪黑素改变可能导致抑郁症的发生和发展。然而，这种异常的分子机制尚不清楚。本文综述了褪黑素的抗抑郁作用机制，这与其在调节下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴、抑制神经炎症、抑制氧化应激、缓解自噬、上调神经营养因子、促进神经可塑性和上调神经递质水平等方面的功能有关。此外，褪黑素受体激动剂，如阿戈美拉汀、雷美尔酮、匹莫林、他司美琼和 GW117，受到了相当多的关注，被高度认为可用于治疗抑郁症及其共病。本文重点关注褪黑素和各种褪黑素受体激动剂在抑郁症的病理生理学和治疗中的作用，旨在为抑郁症的发病机制提供更深入的了解，并探索新药物开发的潜在靶点。
