COVID-19: Melatonin as a potential adjuvant treatment.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the potential benefits of melatonin in mitigating COVID-19 severity by examining its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and immune-modulating properties.
Results Summary
The study suggests melatonin may help reduce excessive inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune overreaction in COVID-19, potentially preventing acute lung injury and improving clinical outcomes. However, further clinical studies are needed to confirm these effects.
Population
COVID-19 patients and critical care patients (generalized based on pathogenesis and prior evidence).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
melatonin | decrease | ALI/ARDS | patients with viral and other pathogens | - | is protective against | #1 |
melatonin | decrease | vessel permeability | critical care patients | - | reducing | #2 |
melatonin | decrease | anxiety | critical care patients | - | reducing | #3 |
melatonin | decrease | sedation use | critical care patients | - | reducing | #4 |
melatonin | increase | sleeping quality | critical care patients | - | improving | #5 |
melatonin | increase | clinical outcomes | COVID-19 patients | - | might also be beneficial for better clinical outcomes | #6 |
melatonin | decrease | virus-related diseases | - | - | limits | #7 |
melatonin | decrease | COVID-19 | COVID-19 patients | - | would also likely be beneficial | #8 |
This article summarizes the likely benefits of melatonin in the attenuation of COVID-19 based on its putative pathogenesis. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has become a pandemic with tens of thousands of infected patients. Based on clinical features, pathology, the pathogenesis of acute respiratory disorder induced by either highly homogenous coronaviruses or other pathogens, the evidence suggests that excessive inflammation, oxidation, and an exaggerated immune response very likely contribute to COVID-19 pathology. This leads to a cytokine storm and subsequent progression to acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and often death. Melatonin, a well-known anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative molecule, is protective against ALI/ARDS caused by viral and other pathogens. Melatonin is effective in critical care patients by reducing vessel permeability, anxiety, sedation use, and improving sleeping quality, which might also be beneficial for better clinical outcomes for COVID-19 patients. Notably, melatonin has a high safety profile. There is significant data showing that melatonin limits virus-related diseases and would also likely be beneficial in COVID-19 patients. Additional experiments and clinical studies are required to confirm this speculation.