Anghel Lucreția, Baroiu Liliana, Popazu Corina Rișcă, Pătraș Diana, Fotea Silvia, Nechifor Alexandru, Ciubara Anamaria, Nechita Luiza, Mușat Carmina Liana, Stefanopol Ioana Anca, Tatu Alin Laurențiu, Ciubara Alexandru Bogdan
Clinical Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, 'Dunărea de Jos' University, 800008 Galați, Romania.
Internal Medicine Department, St. Andrew The Apostle Clinical Emergency County Hospital, 800578 Galați, Romania.
Exp Ther Med. 2022 Mar;23(3):219. doi: 10.3892/etm.2022.11142. Epub 2022 Jan 14.
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in accordance with the circadian rhythm when the light level decreases. Reduction of melatonin secretion with age may be associated with physiological aging in neurodegenerative diseases by affecting the suprachiasmatic nucleus or of the neuronal pathways of transmission to the pineal gland. A significant decrease in melatonin synthesis has been reported in various disorders and diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders (particularly diabetes type 2), cancer and endocrine diseases. In addition to the fact, that melatonin is a sleep inducer, it also exerts cytoprotective properties as an antioxidant and free radical scavenger. The therapeutic role of melatonin has been demonstrated in sleep disorders, eye damage and cardiovascular disease. The association between melatonin and β-blockers has had a positive impact on sleep disorders in clinical trials. Previous studies have reported the anti-inflammatory effect of melatonin by adjusting levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α. Melatonin treatment has been demonstrated to decrease IL-6 and IL-10 expression levels and efficiently attenuate T-cell proliferation. Currently, there is an inconsistency of scientific data regarding the lowest optimal dose and safety of melatonin for long-term use. The aim of the present review was to summarize the evidence on the role of melatonin in various clinical conditions and highlight the future research in this area.
褪黑素是一种在光照水平降低时由松果体根据昼夜节律分泌的激素。随着年龄增长，褪黑素分泌减少可能通过影响视交叉上核或向松果体的神经传导途径而与神经退行性疾病中的生理衰老相关。据报道，在包括心血管疾病、代谢紊乱（尤其是2型糖尿病）、癌症和内分泌疾病在内的各种病症和疾病中，褪黑素合成显著减少。除了是一种睡眠诱导剂外，褪黑素还作为抗氧化剂和自由基清除剂发挥细胞保护特性。褪黑素的治疗作用已在睡眠障碍、眼部损伤和心血管疾病中得到证实。在临床试验中，褪黑素与β受体阻滞剂之间的关联对睡眠障碍产生了积极影响。先前的研究报道了褪黑素通过调节促炎细胞因子水平（包括白细胞介素（IL）-6、IL-1β和肿瘤坏死因子-α）产生的抗炎作用。已证明褪黑素治疗可降低IL-6和IL-10表达水平并有效减弱T细胞增殖。目前，关于褪黑素长期使用的最低最佳剂量和安全性的科学数据存在不一致。本综述的目的是总结褪黑素在各种临床情况下作用的证据，并突出该领域未来的研究。
