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Assessing the antiviral potential of melatonin: A comprehensive systematic review.

Reviews in medical virology
January 1, 2024
Tasneem Alomari et al. (6 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewSystematic ReviewHuman StudyMolecular Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to assess the antiviral potential of melatonin across various study types, including in silico, cell culture, animal models, and human clinical trials.

Results Summary

The review found strong evidence supporting melatonin's antiviral properties, including effects against SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus, and others, with reduced mortality and viral replication in animal studies, though clinical trials lacked conclusive efficacy and safety evidence.

Population

Human subjects, animal models, cell cultures, and in-silico simulations.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin
neutral
SARS-CoV-2
in silico studies
-
identify as a candidate against
#1
melatonin
decrease
cytokine storm-related respiratory responses
in silico studies
-
reducing
#2
melatonin
neutral
different viruses including respiratory syncytial virus, anti-dengue virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and encephalomyocarditis virus
cell culture experiments
-
reveal its multifaceted effects on
#3
melatonin
decrease
mortality
animal studies
-
reduces
#4
melatonin
decrease
viral replication
animal studies
-
reduces
#5
melatonin
no change
efficacy and safety
clinical trials
-
show how it could be evaluated, but with no conclusive evidence of efficacy and safety
#6
Abstract

This review assesses the antiviral potential of melatonin through comprehensive analysis of studies across human subjects, animal models, cell cultures, and in-silico simulations. The search strategy targeted relevant research until 22 June 2023, resulting in 20 primary studies after screening and deduplication. The findings highlight strong evidence supporting antiviral properties of melatonin. In silico studies identify melatonin as a candidate against SARS-CoV-2, reducing cytokine storm-related respiratory responses. Cell culture experiments reveal its multifaceted effects on different viruses including respiratory syncytial virus, anti-dengue virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and encephalomyocarditis virus. Animal studies show melatonin reduces mortality and viral replication in various infections such as Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis and COVID-19. Clinical trials show how it could be evaluated, but with no conclusive evidence of efficacy and safety so far from large, double-blind placebo-controlled trials. These insights showcase the potential of melatonin as a versatile antiviral agent with immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. In summary, our review highlights melatonin's promising antiviral properties across diverse settings. Melatonin's immunomodulatory and antiviral potential makes it a compelling candidate for further investigation, emphasising the need for rigorous clinical trials to establish its safety and efficacy against viral infections.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AnimalsHumansAntiviral AgentsCOVID-19MelatoninRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSARS-CoV-2Virus Diseases
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy70/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations6
Citations/Year6.0
Relative Citation Ratio2.68
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.45
Normalized Score0.64
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Assessing the antiviral potential of melatonin: A comprehens... | Panacea Index