Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Melatonin, immune function and cancer.

Recent patents on endocrine, metabolic & immune drug discovery
May 1, 2011
Venkatramanujam Srinivasan et al. (5 authors)
Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to review melatonin's role in immunoenhancement and its potential as an adjuvant therapy for various cancers.

Results Summary

Melatonin enhances T-helper cell response by releasing cytokines and suppresses neoplastic growth in multiple cancers, including melanoma, breast, prostate, ovarian, and colorectal cancers. It also exhibits antioxidant and immunoenhancing properties.

Population

Not specified (broad review of melatonin's effects across species and human applications).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin
neutral
almost every cell
-
-
influences
#1
melatonin
increase
immunosenescence and development of neoplastic diseases
-
-
has been suggested as one of the major contributors to
#2
melatonin
increase
immunoenhancing properties
-
-
is a natural antioxidant with
#3
melatonin
increase
T-helper cell response
-
-
has been shown to enhance
#4
melatonin
increase
interleukin-2, interleukin-10 and interferon-γ
-
-
enhance T-helper cell response by releasing
#5
melatonin
decrease
neoplastic growth
-
-
is effective in suppressing
#6
melatonin
decrease
patients suffering from breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma or melanoma
patients suffering from breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma or melanoma
-
can be beneficial in treating
#7
Abstract

Melatonin is a natural substance ubiquitous in distribution and present in almost all species ranging from unicellular organisms to humans. In mammals, melatonin is synthesized not only in the pineal gland but also in many other parts of the body, including the eyes, bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, skin and lymphocytes. Melatonin influences almost every cell and can be traced in membrane, cytoplasmic, mitochondrial and nuclear compartments of the cell. The decline in the production of melatonin with age has been suggested as one of the major contributors to immunosenescence and development of neoplastic diseases. Melatonin is a natural antioxidant with immunoenhancing properties. T-helper cells play an important role for protection against malignancy and melatonin has been shown to enhance T-helper cell response by releasing interleukin-2, interleukin-10 and interferon-γ. Melatonin is effective in suppressing neoplastic growth in a variety of tumors like melanoma, breast and prostate cancer, and ovarian and colorectal cancer. As an adjuvant therapy, melatonin can be beneficial in treating patients suffering from breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma or melanoma. In this paper, a brief review of recent patents on melatonin and cancer has also been presented.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AntioxidantsFemaleHumansImmunologic FactorsMaleMelatoninNeoplasms
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety85
Efficacy75/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations70
Citations/Year5.0
Relative Citation Ratio1.94
NIH Percentile73.7%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score1.35
Normalized Score0.78
Related Supplements
Melatonin, immune function and cancer. | Panacea Index