Melatonin as a Therapeutic Agent for the Inhibition of Hypoxia-Induced Tumor Progression: A Description of Possible Mechanisms Involved.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to explore whether melatonin inhibits hypoxia-induced pathways in cancer cells and enhances the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs.
Results Summary
The study suggests melatonin has anti-cancer properties, including anti-proliferation, anti-angiogenesis, and apoptosis promotion, potentially by inhibiting hypoxia-induced pathways. Co-administration with other drugs may improve anti-cancer treatment efficacy.
Population
Hypoxic cancer cells (in vitro or animal models implied, not explicitly stated).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hypoxia | increase | tumor progression | - | - | has an important role in | #1 |
Hypoxia | increase | growth factors and cellular adaptation genes | - | - | up-regulation of | #2 |
Hypoxia-induced changes | increase | cell survival, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and energy metabolism | - | - | promote | #3 |
Hypoxia | increase | resistance of tumors to chemotherapy | - | - | plays a central role in determining | #4 |
Melatonin | decrease | anti-cancer effects | - | - | exerts | #5 |
Melatonin | decrease | hypoxia-induced pathways | - | - | inhibits | #6 |
Co-administration of melatonin in combination with other therapeutic medications | increase | effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs | - | - | might increase | #7 |
Melatonin | decrease | hypoxia-induced cancer cell survival, invasion, migration, and metabolism | - | - | inhibits | #8 |
Melatonin | decrease | tumor angiogenesis | - | - | inhibits | #9 |
Hypoxia has an important role in tumor progression via the up-regulation of growth factors and cellular adaptation genes. These changes promote cell survival, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and energy metabolism in favor of cancer development. Hypoxia also plays a central role in determining the resistance of tumors to chemotherapy. Hypoxia of the tumor microenvironment provides an opportunity to develop new therapeutic strategies that may selectively induce apoptosis of the hypoxic cancer cells. Melatonin is well known for its role in the regulation of circadian rhythms and seasonal reproduction. Numerous studies have also documented the anti-cancer properties of melatonin, including anti-proliferation, anti-angiogenesis, and apoptosis promotion. In this paper, we hypothesized that melatonin exerts anti-cancer effects by inhibiting hypoxia-induced pathways. Considering this action, co-administration of melatonin in combination with other therapeutic medications might increase the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs. In this review, we discussed the possible signaling pathways by which melatonin inhibits hypoxia-induced cancer cell survival, invasion, migration, and metabolism, as well as tumor angiogenesis.