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Ebola virus: melatonin as a readily available treatment option.

Journal of medical virology
April 1, 2015
George Anderson et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate melatonin's potential utility in managing Ebola virus infection by enhancing immune responses and inhibiting viral replication.

Results Summary

Melatonin was found to increase NK cell cytotoxicity and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which may inhibit Ebola virus replication. It also showed protective effects against septic shock and hemorrhage by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Population

Not specified (theoretical application for Ebola virus infection management).

Effective Dosage

Not mentioned

Duration

Not mentioned

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin
increase
NK cell cytotoxicity
-
significantly
increases
#1
melatonin
increase
heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)
-
-
increases
#2
heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)
decrease
Ebola virus replication
-
-
inhibits
#3
melatonin
neutral
septic shock
-
-
has protective effects
#4
melatonin
decrease
pro-inflammatory cytokines
-
-
mediated primarily by a decrease
#5
melatonin
neutral
Ebola viral infection
those at high risk of Ebola viral infection
-
is likely to afford protection
#6
melatonin
neutral
the course of infection per se
-
-
having direct impacts
#7
Abstract

There is currently an urgent need for a viable, cheap, and readily available treatment for the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Here, it is proposed that melatonin may have significant utility in helping the management of this outbreak. Optimizing natural killer (NK) cell responses seems crucial to surviving Ebola virus infection. Melatonin increases NK cell cytotoxicity significantly, suggesting efficacy in managing the Ebola virus. Under conditions of challenge, melatonin increases heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which inhibits Ebola virus replication. Melatonin also has protective effects in cases of septic shock, which, although bacterial, has similar end-point presentations involving blood vessel leakage. Melatonin's effects on haemorrhage are mediated primarily by a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines. By optimizing the appropriate immune response, melatonin is likely to afford protection to those at high risk of Ebola viral infection, as well as having direct impacts on the course of infection per se. Although no direct data pertain to the utility of melatonin in the management of the Ebola virus, convergent bodies of data suggest its utility, which is reviewed in this article.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Africa, WesternHemorrhagic Fever, EbolaHumansImmunologic FactorsMelatonin
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy70/10
Quality60/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations40
Citations/Year4.0
Relative Citation Ratio1.50
NIH Percentile65.1%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.55
Normalized Score0.60
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