The role of melatonin on radiation-induced pneumonitis and lung fibrosis: A systematic review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to review melatonin's potential protective role in treating radiation-induced pneumonitis and lung fibrosis.
Results Summary
Melatonin alleviated radiation-induced lung injuries by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, demonstrated by modulation of specific enzymes and cytokines. Histological damage from radiation was also mitigated with melatonin co-treatment.
Population
Not specified (systematic review of animal and/or human studies).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
melatonin | decrease | lung irradiation-induced pneumonitis and lung fibrosis | - | - | could alleviate | #1 |
melatonin | increase | catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, NADPH oxidases 2 and 4, dual oxidases 1 and 2 | - | - | upregulation | #2 |
melatonin | decrease | malondialdehyde | - | - | downregulation | #3 |
melatonin | decrease | oxidative stress | - | - | reduced | #4 |
melatonin | decrease | increased levels of nuclear factor kappa B, tumor necrosis factor alpha, transforming growth factor beta 1, SMAD2, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-4 receptor-a1 (IL4ra1), and IL-1 beta | - | - | attenuate | #5 |
melatonin | decrease | histological damages induced by ionizing radiation | - | - | alleviated | #6 |
melatonin | decrease | following lung irradiation | - | - | can have anti-pneumonitis and anti-fibrotic | #7 |
PURPOSE: Pneumonitis and lung fibrosis, as the most common compliances of lung irradiation, can affect the quality of life. The use of radio-protective agents can ameliorate these injuries. This study aimed to review the potential protective role of melatonin in the treatment of radiation-induced Pneumonitis and lung fibrosis. METHODS: The current systematic study was conducted based on PRISMA guidelines to identify relevant literature on " the effect of melatonin on radiation-induced pneumonitis and lung fibrosis" in the electronic databases of Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus up to January 2021. Eighty-one articles were screened in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. Finally, eight articles were included in this systematic review. RESULTS: The finding showed that the lung irradiation-induced pneumonitis and lung fibrosis. The co-treatment with melatonin could alleviate these compliances through its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Melatonin through upregulation of some enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, NADPH oxidases 2 and 4, dual oxidases 1 and 2, and also downregulation of malondialdehyde reduced oxidative stress following lung radiation. Moreover, melatonin through its anti-inflammatory effects, can attenuate the increased levels of nuclear factor kappa B, tumor necrosis factor alpha, transforming growth factor beta 1, SMAD2, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-4 receptor-a1 (IL4ra1), and IL-1 beta following lung radiation. The histological damages induced by ionizing radiation were also alleviated by co-treatment with melatonin. CONCLUSION: According to the obtained results, it was found that melatonin can have anti-pneumonitis and anti-fibrotic following lung irradiation.