Melatonin mediates mucosal immune cells, microbial metabolism, and rhythm crosstalk: A therapeutic target to reduce intestinal inflammation.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to explore melatonin's potential as a co-adjuvant treatment in intestinal diseases by examining its interactions with gut microbiota, immune modulation, and inflammatory pathways.
Results Summary
The study found that melatonin influences gut microbiota and inflammation through diverse metabolites, modulates immune cell activity, exerts antimicrobial effects, and regulates intestinal immune function via NF-κB and STAT1 pathways. It also mediates bacterial activity signals affecting body rhythm and mucosal epithelium oscillation.
Population
Not specified (mechanistic focus, likely preclinical or in vitro studies).
Effective Dosage
Not specified.
Duration
Not specified.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
melatonin | neutral | phenotypic effects | - | - | exerts potentially diverse phenotypic effects | #1 |
melatonin | increase | intestinal mucosal immune cells | - | - | mediates the activation and proliferation | #2 |
melatonin | neutral | T/B cells, mast cells, macrophages and dendritic cells | - | - | modulating | #3 |
melatonin | neutral | T-cell differentiation | - | - | regulating | #4 |
melatonin | neutral | T/B cell interaction | - | - | intervening | #5 |
melatonin | decrease | pro-inflammatory factors | - | - | attenuating the production | #6 |
melatonin | increase | antioxidant action | - | - | achieving its antioxidant action | #7 |
melatonin | increase | antimicrobial action | - | - | exerts antimicrobial action | #8 |
melatonin | neutral | microbial components | - | - | modulates | #9 |
melatonin | neutral | intestinal immune function | - | - | modulates intestinal immune function | #10 |
melatonin | neutral | intestinal bacterial activity signals on the body rhythm system | - | - | mediates the effect | #11 |
melatonin | neutral | mucosal epithelium oscillation | - | - | influences | #12 |
Nowadays, melatonin, previously considered only as a pharmaceutical product for rhythm regulation and sleep aiding, has shown its potential as a co-adjuvant treatment in intestinal diseases, however, its mechanism is still not very clear. A firm connection between melatonin at a physiologically relevant concentration and the gut microbiota and inflammation has recently established. Herein, we summarize their crosstalk and focus on four novelties. First, how melatonin is synthesized and degraded in the gut and exerts potentially diverse phenotypic effects through its diverse metabolites. Second, how melatonin mediates the activation and proliferation of intestinal mucosal immune cells with paracrine and autocrine properties. By modulating T/B cells, mast cells, macrophages and dendritic cells, melatonin immunomodulatory involved in regulating T-cell differentiation, intervening T/B cell interaction and attenuating the production of pro-inflammatory factors, achieving its antioxidant action via specific receptors. Third, how melatonin exerts antimicrobial action and modulates microbial components, such as lipopolysaccharide, amyloid-β peptides via nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) or signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT1) pathway to modulate intestinal immune function in immune-pineal axis. The last, how melatonin mediates the effect of intestinal bacterial activity signals on the body rhythm system through the NF-κB pathway and influences the mucosal epithelium oscillation via clock gene expression. These processes are achieved at mitochondrial and nuclear levels to control the host immune cell development. Considering unclear mechanisms and undiscovered actions of melatonin in gut-microbiome-immune axis, it's time to reveal them and provide new insight for the outlook of melatonin as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment and management of intestinal diseases.