Cancer
Medical Studies on Melatonin – Cancer
There have been studies on melatonin as an effective anti-cancer hormone for several decades. It has been demonstrated to alleviate the symptoms of the early-stage, progression and metastasis phases and have a positive impact on the course of the disease. The anti-oxidative and immunoregulatory properties of melatonin and its effect on tumour-specific cell division are responsible for this.
Melatonin inhibits tumour growth
As a “natural killer”, melatonin plays a key role in the uncontrolled growth of cells. Specifically, it reduces the cell division rate, for example by reducing telomerase activity, which results in the programmed cell death of the tumour cells. The researchers also found that melatonin possesses the ability to affect angiogenesis, which is the growth and formation of blood vessels that supply the tumour with oxygen and nutrients, thus facilitating its growth.
An effective accompaniment to therapy
The supportive effect of melatonin during conventional cancer treatments is also proven – for instance, the often toxic consequences of radiotherapy or chemotherapy can be mitigated using melatonin while also enhancing its effectiveness – according to the results of many studies. Studies have also shown that melatonin can affect the treatment resistance of some tumours, making them more susceptible to chemotherapy.
Medical Studies on Melatonin – Cancer
2025-01-17
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the most lethal cancer worldwide. Melatonin, an indoleamine produced in the pineal gland, shows anticancer effects on a variety of cancers, especially lung cancer. Herein, we clarify the pathophysiology of lung cancer, the association of circadian rhythm with lung, and the relationship between shift work and
2025-01-17
Introduction: Melatonin, originally isolated from the mammalian pineal gland, was subsequently identified in many animal cell types and in plants. While melatonin was discovered to inhibit cancer more than 5 decades ago, its anti-cancer potential has not been fully exploited despite its lack of serious toxicity over a very wide dose range, high safety margin, and
2025-01-17
The purpose of this systematic review is to provide an overview of the existing knowledge on the therapeutic potential of melatonin to counteract the undesirable effects of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. To this aim, we summarized and critically reviewed preclinical- and clinical-related evidence according to the PRISMA guidelines. Additionally, we developed an extrapolation of
2025-01-17
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a global health challenge whose incidence is growing worldwide. Previous evidence strongly supported the notion that the circadian clock controls physiological homeostasis of the liver and plays a key role in hepatocarcinogenesis. Despite the progress, cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning this HCC-clock crosstalk remain unknown. Addressing this knowledge gap, we show
2025-01-15
Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, with a greater risk of metastasis and a higher prevalence and mortality rate. This cancer type has been demonstrated to develop resistance to the known treatment options such as conventional therapeutic agents and targeted therapy that are currently being used as the standard of care. Drug
2025-01-15
Melatonin is an endogenous indoleamine that has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in laboratory models of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer risk has additionally been associated with exogenous factors that interfere with normal pineal secretory activity, including aging, poor sleep, and artificial light at night. Therefore, we aim to expand on the important epidemiological evidence,
2025-01-15
Combined chemotherapy is a treatment method based on the simultaneous use of two or more therapeutic agents; it is frequently necessary to produce a more effective treatment for cancer patients. Such combined treatments often improve the outcomes over that of the monotherapy approach, as the drugs synergistically target critical cell signaling pathways or work independently
2025-01-15
Circadian clock dysregulation has been implicated in various types of cancer and represents an area of growing research. However, the role of the circadian clock in prostate cancer has been relatively unexplored. This literature review will highlight the potential role of circadian clock dysregulation in prostate cancer by examining molecular, epidemiologic, and clinical data. The
2025-01-15
Melatonin displays antitumor activity in several types of malignancies; however, the best delivery route and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Alternative non-invasive delivery route based on transdermal administration of melatonin by cryopass-laser treatment demonstrated efficiency in reducing the progression of LNCaP prostate tumor cells xenografted into nude mice by impairing the biochemical pathways affecting
2025-01-09
Melatonin (MLT) is an endogenous hormone produced by pineal gland which possess promising anti-tumor effects. Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of MLT, along with its immunomodulatory, proapoptotic, and anti-angiogenic properties, are often referred to the main mechanisms of its anti-tumor effects. Recent evidence has suggested that epigenetic alterations are also involved in the anti-tumor properties of
2025-01-09
In recent years, seminal studies have been devoted to unraveling the puzzling mysteries associated with the cancer preventive/inhibitory role of melatonin. Our current knowledge of the translational mechanisms and the detailed structural insights have highlighted the characteristically exclusive role of melatonin in the inhibition of carcinogenesis and metastatic dissemination. This mini-review outlines recent discoveries related
2025-01-09
Background: Gastric cancer is one of the major public health problems worldwide. Circadian rhythm disturbances driven by circadian clock genes play a role in the development of cancer. However, whether circadian clock genes can serve as potential therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for gastric cancer remains elusive. Methods: In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the potential relationship
2025-01-09
Circadian rhythms are present in almost all cells and play a crucial role in regulating various biological processes. Maintaining a stable circadian rhythm is essential for overall health. Disruption of this rhythm can alter the expression of clock genes and cancer-related genes, and affect many metabolic pathways and factors, thereby affecting the function of the
2022-04-08
Uveal melanoma is a rare form of cancer with high mortality. The incidence of metastases is attributed to early seeding of micrometastases from the eye to distant organs, primarily the liver. Once these seeded clusters of dormant tumor cells grow into larger radiologically detectable macrometastases, median patient survival is about 1 year. Melatonin is an important hormone for synchronizing circadian rhythms. It is also involved in other aspects of human physiology and may offer therapeutic benefits for a variety of diseases including cancer.
2022-03-23
Cancer represents a large group of diseases accounting for nearly 10 million deaths each year. Various treatment strategies, including surgical resection combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, have been applied for cancer treatment. However, the outcomes remain largely unsatisfying.
2022-01-12
The unique ability to adapt and thrive in inhospitable, stressful tumor microenvironments (TME) also renders cancer cells resistant to traditional chemotherapeutic treatments and/or novel pharmaceuticals.
2021-04-03
Cancers of the reproductive organs are often hard to be detected, and patients’ survival rate drops considerably even when the tumor is removed.
2021-03-19
Many systemic functions display circadian rhythms driven by an endogenous mechanism that is regulated by circadian-related genes and these gene expressions control a central clock in the brain and subordinate clocks in peripheral tissues. However, modern life has introduced environmental factors that often interfere with natural circadian rhythms. Importantly, circadian disruption has been identified as an independent risk factor of cancers.
2021-01-18
Glucose is an essential nutrient for every cell but its metabolic fate depends on cellular phenotype. Normally, the product of cytosolic glycolysis, pyruvate, is transported into mitochondria and irreversibly converted to acetyl coenzyme A by pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC).
2020-07-11
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, known as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths annually.