New insights into antimetastatic signaling pathways of melatonin in skeletomuscular sarcoma of childhood and adolescence.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to compile existing knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of melatonin's antimetastatic effects on skeletomuscular sarcomas, particularly in children and adolescents, and explore its potential as an adjuvant therapy.
Results Summary
Melatonin exhibits significant apoptotic, angiogenic, oncostatic, and antiproliferative effects on various cancer cells, particularly skeletomuscular sarcomas. It shows promise as an adjuvant therapy to enhance the antimetastatic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs.
Population
Children, teenagers, and young adults affected by skeletomuscular sarcomas (e.g., osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
melatonin | decrease | various cancer cells | - | - | has significant apoptotic, angiogenic, oncostatic, and antiproliferative effects | #1 |
melatonin | decrease | skeletomuscular sarcoma | children, teenagers, and young adults | - | ability to inhibit | #2 |
melatonin | decrease | skeletomuscular sarcoma | childhood and during adolescence | - | antimetastatic actions | #3 |
melatonin as an adjuvant with chemotherapeutic drugs | increase | therapeutic actions | - | - | synergy and fortification of the antimetastatic effects | #4 |
Melatonin is an indole produced by the pineal gland at night under normal light or dark conditions, and its levels, which are higher in children than in adults, begin to decrease prior to the onset of puberty and continue to decline thereafter. Apart from circadian regulatory actions, melatonin has significant apoptotic, angiogenic, oncostatic, and antiproliferative effects on various cancer cells. Particularly, the ability of melatonin to inhibit skeletomuscular sarcoma, which most commonly affects children, teenagers, and young adults, is substantial. In the past few decades, the vast majority of references have focused on the concept of epithelial-mesenchymal transition involvement in invasion and migration to allow carcinoma cells to dissociate from each other and to degrade the extracellular matrix. Recently, researchers have applied this idea to sarcoma cells of mesenchymal origin, e.g., osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, with their ability to initiate the invasion-metastasis cascade. Similarly, interest of the effects of melatonin has shifted from carcinomas to sarcomas. Herein, in this state-of-the-art review, we compiled the knowledge related to the molecular mechanism of antimetastatic actions of melatonin on skeletomuscular sarcoma as in childhood and during adolescence. Utilization of melatonin as an adjuvant with chemotherapeutic drugs for synergy and fortification of the antimetastatic effects for the reinforcement of therapeutic actions are considered.