Cao Yurou, Zhang Hang, Chen Xubin, Li Conghui, Chen Jingxin
School of Stomatology, Hainan Medical University and Hainan Academy of Medical Sciences, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Department of Stomatology, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou, China.
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Jul 18;16:1617508. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1617508. eCollection 2025.
Melatonin (MLT), a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland, exhibits significant anticancer effects. It has superior antioxidant, inhibit tumor cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis-inhibiting, and tumor cell apoptosis-inducing functions. Mechanistically, melatonin inhibits tumor development through epigenetic regulation, metabolic reprogramming, immune micro-environment, and regulation of important signaling pathways (PI3K/AKT). In addition, MLT significantly enhances anticancer efficacy in combination with other anticancer drugs, such as cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and paclitaxel. However, the shortcomings of melatonin, such as its low bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and significant individual variation in secretion, have limited its clinical application in anticancer therapy. This limitation has been mitigated by targeted delivery and individualized therapy. Therefore, MLT may be a promising candidate for natural hormone therapy in the future.
褪黑素（MLT）是一种由松果体自然分泌的激素，具有显著的抗癌作用。它具有卓越的抗氧化、抑制肿瘤细胞增殖、迁移、抑制血管生成以及诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡的功能。从机制上讲，褪黑素通过表观遗传调控、代谢重编程、免疫微环境以及重要信号通路（PI3K/AKT）的调节来抑制肿瘤发展。此外，MLT与其他抗癌药物（如顺铂、5-氟尿嘧啶和紫杉醇）联合使用时，能显著增强抗癌效果。然而，褪黑素存在生物利用度低、代谢快以及分泌存在显著个体差异等缺点，限制了其在抗癌治疗中的临床应用。靶向递送和个体化治疗减轻了这一限制。因此，MLT未来可能是天然激素治疗的一个有前景的候选药物。
