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Melatonin: highlighting its use as a potential treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS
January 1, 1970
Russel J Reiter et al. (11 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate melatonin's potential as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent against SARS-CoV-2 infection, focusing on its safety, efficacy, and mechanisms of action.

Results Summary

Melatonin demonstrated pan-antiviral effects, reduced infection severity and mortality in animal models, and improved outcomes in COVID-19 patients by lowering death rates and shortening hospital stays. Network analyses also predicted melatonin as the most effective agent for COVID-19 prevention/treatment.

Population

Animals infected with various viruses (including coronaviruses) and seriously infected COVID-19 patients.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin
decrease
severity of viral infections
animals infected with numerous different viruses, including three different coronaviruses
-
diminishes
#1
melatonin
decrease
death
animals infected with numerous different viruses, including three different coronaviruses
-
reduces
#2
melatonin
decrease
preventing/treating COVID-19
humans
-
predicted to be the most effective agent for
#3
melatonin
decrease
severity of infection
seriously infected COVID-19 patients
-
reduced
#4
melatonin
decrease
death rate
seriously infected COVID-19 patients
-
lowered
#5
melatonin
decrease
duration of hospitalization
seriously infected COVID-19 patients
-
shortened
#6
melatonin
decrease
health care exhaustion
-
-
may reduce
#7
Abstract

Numerous pharmaceutical drugs have been repurposed for use as treatments for COVID-19 disease. These drugs have not consistently demonstrated high efficacy in preventing or treating this serious condition and all have side effects to differing degrees. We encourage the continued consideration of the use of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, melatonin, as a countermeasure to a SARS-CoV-2 infection. More than 140 scientific publications have identified melatonin as a likely useful agent to treat this disease. Moreover, the publications cited provide the rationale for the use of melatonin as a prophylactic agent against this condition. Melatonin has pan-antiviral effects and it diminishes the severity of viral infections and reduces the death of animals infected with numerous different viruses, including three different coronaviruses. Network analyses, which compared drugs used to treat SARS-CoV-2 in humans, also predicted that melatonin would be the most effective agent for preventing/treating COVID-19. Finally, when seriously infected COVID-19 patients were treated with melatonin, either alone or in combination with other medications, these treatments reduced the severity of infection, lowered the death rate, and shortened the duration of hospitalization. Melatonin's ability to arrest SARS-CoV-2 infections may reduce health care exhaustion by limiting the need for hospitalization. Importantly, melatonin has a high safety profile over a wide range of doses and lacks significant toxicity. Some molecular processes by which melatonin resists a SARS-CoV-2 infection are summarized. The authors believe that all available, potentially beneficial drugs, including melatonin, that lack toxicity should be used in pandemics such as that caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AntioxidantsAntiviral AgentsCOVID-19HumansMelatoninSARS-CoV-2COVID-19 Drug Treatment
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety90
Efficacy85/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations29
Citations/Year9.7
Relative Citation Ratio3.70
NIH Percentile88.9%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score0.89
Normalized Score0.86
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Melatonin: highlighting its use as a potential treatment for... | Panacea Index