Melatonin as an Antioxidant and Immunomodulator in Atopic Dermatitis—A New Look on an Old Story: A Review

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is common inflammatory dermatosis, typically with chronic and recurrent course, which significantly reduces the quality of life. Sleep disturbances are considered to be remarkably burdensome ailments in patients with AD, and are routinely included during assessment of disease severity. Therefore, endogenous substances engaged in the control of circadian rhythms might be important in pathogenesis of AD and, possibly, be used as biomarkers of disease severity or even in development of novel therapies. Melatonin (MT), the indoleamine produced by pineal gland (but also by multiple other tissues, including skin), plays a pivotal role in maintaining the sleep/wake homeostasis. Additionally, it possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which might directly link chronic skin inflammation and sleep abnormalities characteristic of AD. The objective of this work is to systematically present and summarize the results of studies (both experimental and clinical) that investigated the role of MT in the AD, with a focus on the antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects of MT.

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

“…Beyond melatonin's well-known antioxidant and antiinflammatory actions which have proven the efficacy of this molecule in the treatment of diseases/ conditions where excessive free radical-mediated oxidative damage and hyperinflammation are causative factors [112][113][114][115][116], the studies summarized herein also support its use as a possible treatment for COVID-19 disease. Melatonin has been proposed as a potential effective inhibitor of the destructive inflammatory consequences of a SARS-CoV-2 infection [2,4,7,11], an idea supported by observed and predicted improvements in the outcome of patients with this disease [95,96] (Table 2).…”

Nanotechnology Frontiers in γ-Herpesviruses Treatments

“…This therapeutic displays anti-tumoral properties, regulating cell cycle progression, apoptosis, induced-oxidative stress, immune stimulation, and growth signaling, exerting anti-proliferative effects [ 80 , 81 ]. It was shown that melatonin represses the Warburg effect, ameliorates disturbed mitochondrial bioenergetics, and is a pro-oxidant in cancer cells, even in cancer stem cells (CSCs) [ 82 , 83 ].…”

Melatonin Decreases Acute Inflammatory Response to Neural Probe Insertion

“…Of these compounds, melatonin has shown particularly promising results. Melatonin (MT) is a naturally occurring hormone and has been shown in many studies to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and anti-apoptotic qualities [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Known widely for its participation in circadian rhythm during sleep-wake cycles, MT’s immune-related properties have also been noted in the past few decades, making it an attractive candidate for many drug-focused therapies [ 25 , 28 , 29 ].…”

“…Melatonin (MT) is a naturally occurring hormone and has been shown in many studies to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and anti-apoptotic qualities [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Known widely for its participation in circadian rhythm during sleep-wake cycles, MT’s immune-related properties have also been noted in the past few decades, making it an attractive candidate for many drug-focused therapies [ 25 , 28 , 29 ]. MT acts via receptor-mediated suppression of the NF-KB pathway, thus reducing the inflammatory cytokines produced during local injury and other downstream inflammatory products like TNF-α and IL-6 [ 16 , 21 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”