Melatonin and cisplatin co-treatment against cancer: A mechanistic review of their synergistic effects and melatonin's protective actions.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate melatonin's role as an adjuvant in cisplatin-based chemotherapy, focusing on its potential to enhance antitumor effects while mitigating cisplatin-induced toxicity.
Results Summary
Melatonin demonstrated potential to enhance cisplatin's antitumor effects by inducing apoptosis and suppressing metastasis, while also protecting against cisplatin-induced cardio- and nephrotoxicity. However, the abstract notes that combination chemotherapy may sometimes increase toxicity without significantly improving anticancer effects.
Population
Cancer patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy (specific cancer types not detailed in the abstract).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
combination chemotherapy | increase | prognosis | some cancer patients | - | appears to be a preferable option | #1 |
combination treatments | increase | toxicity | - | - | may just enhance | #2 |
combination treatments | no change | anticancer effects | - | - | having little effect on boosting | #3 |
Cisplatin (CDDP) | increase | cardiotoxicity, skin necrosis, testicular toxicity, and nephrotoxicity | - | - | has major adverse effects such as | #4 |
melatonin (MLT) | decrease | cancer cell growth | - | - | decreasing | #5 |
melatonin (MLT) | increase | apoptosis | - | - | causing | #6 |
melatonin (MLT) | decrease | metastasis | - | - | preventing | #7 |
MLT as an adjuvant in CDDP-based chemotherapies | increase | CDDP's antitumor effects | - | - | may enhance | #8 |
MLT | decrease | cardio- and nephrotoxicity | - | - | protecting other organs from its adverse effects | #9 |
Combination chemotherapy appears to be a preferable option for some cancer patients, especially when the medications target multiple pathways of oncogenesis; individuals treated with combination treatments may have a better prognosis than those treated with single agent chemotherapy. However, research has revealed that this is not always the case, and that this technique may just enhance toxicity while having little effect on boosting the anticancer effects of the medications. Cisplatin (CDDP) is a chemotherapeutic medicine that is commonly used to treat many forms of cancer. However, it has major adverse effects such as cardiotoxicity, skin necrosis, testicular toxicity, and nephrotoxicity. Many research have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of melatonin (MLT) as an anticancer medication. MLT operates in a variety of ways, including decreasing cancer cell growth, causing apoptosis, and preventing metastasis. We review the literature on the role of MLT as an adjuvant in CDDP-based chemotherapies and discuss how MLT may enhance CDDP's antitumor effects (e.g., by inducing apoptosis and suppressing metastasis) while protecting other organs from its adverse effects, such as cardio- and nephrotoxicity.