Category
Archives
-
Aging, circadian disruption and neurodegeneration: Interesting interplay
The circadian system is an intricate molecular network of coordinating circadian clocks that organize the internal synchrony of the organism in response to the environment. These rhythms are maintained by genetically programmed positive and negative auto-regulated transcriptional and translational feedback loops that sustain 24-hour oscillations in mRNA and protein components of the endogenous circadian clock.…
-
Serotonin and Melatonin in Human Lower Gastrointestinal Tract
Background and aims: Melatonin is a ubiquitous hormone produced not only by the pineal gland but also by other organs and tissues. It is involved in the regulation of several gastrointestinal functions. The main cells responsible for the production and release of extrapineal melatonin are the enterochromaffin (EC) cells that produce serotonin. They are involved in…
-
Melatonin: Both a Messenger of Darkness and a Participant in the Cellular Actions of Non-Visible Solar Radiation of Near Infrared Light
Throughout the history of melatonin research, almost exclusive focus has been on nocturnally-generated pineal melatonin production, which accounts for its circadian rhythm in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid; these light/dark melatonin cycles drive the daily and seasonal photoperiodic alterations in organismal physiology. Because pineal melatonin is produced and secreted primarily at night, it is referred…
-
The Effect of Serotonin Transmission on Depressive and Insomnia Symptoms in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
The serotonergic pathway may impact the pathogenesis and the course of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 5-HT, the serotonin transporter (SERT), and the clinical course of the disease with the occurrence of sleep and mood disorders. Participants completed sleep questionnaires and the Beck Depression Inventory…
-
Circadian disruption and sleep disorders in neurodegeneration
Disruptions of circadian rhythms and sleep cycles are common among neurodegenerative diseases and can occur at multiple levels. Accumulating evidence reveals a bidirectional relationship between disruptions of circadian rhythms and sleep cycles and neurodegenerative diseases. Circadian disruption and sleep disorders aggravate neurodegeneration and neurodegenerative diseases can in turn disrupt circadian rhythms and sleep. Importantly, circadian…
-
Melatonin modulates tumor metabolism and mitigates metastasis
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…
-
Aging-Related Ovarian Failure and Infertility: Melatonin to the Rescue
Aging has a major detrimental effect on the optimal function of the ovary with changes in this organ preceding the age-related deterioration in other tissues, with the middle-aged shutdown leading to infertility. Reduced fertility and consequent inability to conceive by women in present-day societies who choose to have children later in life leads to increased…
-
Brain washing and neural health: role of age, sleep, and the cerebrospinal fluid melatonin rhythm
The brain lacks a classic lymphatic drainage system. How it is cleansed of damaged proteins, cellular debris, and molecular by-products has remained a mystery for decades. Recent discoveries have identified a hybrid system that includes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-filled perivascular spaces and classic lymph vessels in the dural covering of the brain and spinal cord that…
-
Therapeutic Potential of Melatonin Counteracting Chemotherapy-Induced Toxicity in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review
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…
-
Circadian regulator BMAL1::CLOCK promotes cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma by controlling apoptosis and cell cycle
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…
-
Melatonin as a Repurposed Drug for Melanoma Treatment
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…
-
Circle(s) of Life: The Circadian Clock from Birth to Death
Most lifeforms on earth use endogenous, so-called circadian clocks to adapt to 24-h cycles in environmental demands driven by the planet’s rotation around its axis. Interactions with the environment change over the course of a lifetime, and so does regulation of the circadian clock system. In this review, we summarize how circadian clocks develop in…
-
Functional Dimerization of Serotonin Receptors: Role in Health and Depressive Disorders
Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of depressive disorder constitutes a pressing challenge in the fields of psychiatry and neurobiology. Depression represents one of the most prevalent forms of mental and behavioral disorders globally. Alterations in dimerization capacity can influence the functional characteristics of serotonin receptors and may constitute a contributing factor to the onset of depressive…
-
Melatonin and Prostate Cancer: Anti-tumor Roles and Therapeutic Application
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,…
-
Melatonin ameliorates myocardial infarction in obese diabetic individuals: The possible involvement of macrophage apoptotic factors
In recent days, the hike in obesity-mediated epidemics across the globe and the prevalence of obesity-induced cardiovascular disease has become one of the chief grounds for morbidity and mortality. This epidemic-driven detrimental events in the cardiac tissues start with the altered distribution and metabolism pattern of high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) leading to cholesterol…
-
Melatonin and 5-fluorouracil combination chemotherapy: opportunities and efficacy in cancer therapy
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…
-
Circadian Clock Dysregulation and Prostate Cancer: A Molecular and Clinical Overview
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…
-
Circadian rhythms in colonic function
A rhythmic expression of clock genes occurs within the cells of multiple organs and tissues throughout the body, termed “peripheral clocks.” Peripheral clocks are subject to entrainment by a multitude of factors, many of which are directly or indirectly controlled by the light-entrainable clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. Peripheral clocks occur…
-
Melatonin as a Coadjuvant in the Treatment of Patients with Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic widespread pain syndrome that is accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, lack of concentration, and neurocognitive impairment. As the currently available drugs are not completely successful against these symptoms and frequently have several side effects, many scientists have taken on the task of looking for nonpharmacological remedies. Many…