Álvarez-López Ana Isabel, Cruz-Chamorro Ivan, Lardone Patricia Judith, Bejarano Ignacio, Aspiazu-Hinostroza Karla, Ponce-España Eduardo, Santos-Sánchez Guillermo, Álvarez-Sánchez Nuria, Carrillo-Vico Antonio
Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, IBiS/Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain.
Departamento de Bioquímica Médica y Biología Molecular e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.
J Pineal Res. 2025 Jan;77(1):e70025. doi: 10.1111/jpi.70025.
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a biomarker of inflammation whose levels are elevated in patients with several diseases associated with dysregulation of the immune response. The main limitations of currently used anti-TNF therapies are the induction of immunodepression, which in many cases leads to serious adverse effects such as infection and cancer, and the inability to cross the blood-brain barrier in neuroinflammatory conditions. Melatonin, in addition to being a chronobiotic compound, is widely known for its antioxidant and immunomodulatory capacity to control inflammatory processes in different pathological contexts. The aim of the present review is to address human-based studies that describe the effect of melatonin on TNF production. The review includes all the articles published in PubMed databases until April 15, 2024. After depuration, 45 studies were finally included in the review, 23 related to the in vitro action of melatonin in human cells and 22 in vivo studies in humans. Most of the data reviewed support the idea that melatonin has an immunosuppressive effect on TNF levels, which, together with its low toxicity profile, low cost, and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, points to melatonin as a potential anti-TNF therapy. Therefore, improving our knowledge of the action of melatonin in regulating TNF through appropriate clinical trials would reveal the true potential of this molecule as a possible anti-TNF therapy.
肿瘤坏死因子(TNF)是一种炎症生物标志物,在患有多种与免疫反应失调相关疾病的患者中其水平会升高。目前使用的抗TNF疗法的主要局限性在于会引发免疫抑制,这在许多情况下会导致严重的不良反应,如感染和癌症,并且在神经炎症情况下无法穿过血脑屏障。褪黑素除了是一种调节生物钟的化合物外,还因其抗氧化和免疫调节能力而广为人知,能够在不同病理背景下控制炎症过程。本综述的目的是探讨基于人类的研究,这些研究描述了褪黑素对TNF产生的影响。该综述涵盖了截至2024年4月15日在PubMed数据库中发表的所有文章。经过筛选后,最终有45项研究被纳入该综述,其中23项与褪黑素在人类细胞中的体外作用相关,22项是关于人类的体内研究。大多数综述数据支持这样一种观点,即褪黑素对TNF水平具有免疫抑制作用,再加上其低毒性、低成本以及能够穿过血脑屏障的特性,表明褪黑素是一种潜在的抗TNF疗法。因此,通过适当的临床试验提高我们对褪黑素调节TNF作用的认识,将揭示该分子作为一种可能的抗TNF疗法的真正潜力。