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Does the use of melatonin overcome drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy?

Life sciences
January 1, 1970
Mohammad Hossein Asghari et al. (5 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman StudyMolecular Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to explore melatonin's role in cancer therapy, focusing on its ability to enhance chemo/radiotherapy efficacy and counteract drug resistance in malignant cells.

Results Summary

Melatonin was found to improve cancer treatment response by modulating drug targets, reducing drug clearance, altering DNA repair mechanisms, and enhancing cell death pathways like apoptosis and autophagy. These effects were linked to melatonin's influence on key signaling pathways such as Akt and MAPK.

Population

Cancer patients, specifically those with breast, lung, hepatic, colon cancers, and leukemia.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (8)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin
increase
chemo/radiotherapy
various cancers
-
enhanced efficacy
#1
melatonin
increase
sensitivity to antineoplastic agents
cancer cells
-
correct these alterations in favour of sensitization to antineoplastic agents
#2
melatonin
increase
response to treatment
-
-
increased response to treatment
#3
melatonin
neutral
drug targets
-
-
modulating the expression and phosphorylation status
#4
melatonin
decrease
clearance of drugs
-
-
reduced clearance of drugs
#5
melatonin
decrease
survival of malignant cells
-
-
decreased survival of malignant cells
#6
melatonin
increase
responsiveness to apoptosis and autophagy
-
-
enhanced responsiveness to cell death-associated mechanisms
#7
melatonin
neutral
drug-resistance mechanisms
malignant cells in breast, lung, hepatic, and colon cancers as well as different types of leukemia
-
considerably affect the drug-resistance mechanisms
#8
Abstract

Our knowledge regarding the implications of melatonin in the therapy of numerous medical conditions, including cancer is constantly expanding. Melatonin can variably affect cancer pathology via targeting several key aspects of any neoplastic condition, including the very onset of carcinogenesis as well as tumor growth, differentiation, and dissemination. Numerous studies have examined the effects of melatonin in the context of various cancers reporting the enhanced efficacy of chemo/radiotherapy in combination with this compound. Reduced sensitivity and also resistance of cancer cells to antineoplastic agents are common events which might arise as a result of genomic instability of the malignant cells. Genetic mutations provide numerous mechanisms for these cells to resist cytotoxic therapies. Melatonin, due to its pleitropic effects, is able to correct these alterations in favour of sensitization to antineoplastic agents as evident by increased response to treatment via modulating the expression and phosphorylation status of drug targets, the reduced clearance of drugs by affecting their metabolism and transport within the body, decreased survival of malignant cells via altering DNA repair and telomerase activity, and enhanced responsiveness to cell death-associated mechanisms such as apoptosis and autophagy. These effects are presumably governed by melatonin's interventions in the main signal transduction pathways such as Akt and MAPK, independent of its antioxidant properties. Possessing such a signaling altering nature, melatonin can considerably affect the drug-resistance mechanisms employed by the malignant cells in breast, lung, hepatic, and colon cancers as well as different types of leukemia which are the subject of the current review.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AnimalsAntineoplastic AgentsAntioxidantsDrug Resistance, NeoplasmHumansMelatoninNeoplasms
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations36
Citations/Year5.1
Relative Citation Ratio1.87
NIH Percentile72.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score0.87
Normalized Score0.69
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Does the use of melatonin overcome drug resistance in cancer... | Panacea Index