Melatonin as an Antioxidant for Stroke Neuroprotection

Abstract

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a hormone derived from the pineal gland that has a wide range of clinical applications. While melatonin was originally assessed as a hormone specializing in regulation of the normal circadian rhythm in mammals, it now has been shown to be an effective free radical scavenger and antioxidant. Current research has focused on central nervous system (CNS) disorders, stroke in particular, for potential melatonin-based therapeutics. As of now, the realm of potential therapy regimens is focused on three main treatments: exogenously delivered melatonin, pineal gland grafting, and melatonin-mediated stem cell therapy. All therapies contain both costs and benefits, and current research is still focused on finding the best treatment plan. While comprehensive research has been conducted, more research regarding the safety of such therapies is needed in order to transition into the clinical level of testing. Antioxidants such as traditional Chinese medicine, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and lavender oil, which have been used for thousands of years as treatment, are now gaining recognition as effective melatonin treatment alternatives. This review will further discuss relevant studies assessing melatonin-based therapeutics and provide evidence of other natural melatonin treatment alternatives for the treatment of stroke.

The neuroprotective role of melatonin in neurological disorders

“…Melatonin is considered one of the most potent antioxidant, playing an important protective role in ischaemic injury (see Figure ; Watson, Diamandis, Gonzales‐Portillo, Reyes, & Borlongan, ; Wu et al, ). In middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), a model of acute ischaemia in rats, receiving pineal gland transplantation improves the motor outcome and decreases the infarct size through the secretion of melatonin (Borlongan et al, ).…”

Melatonin in Apples and Juice: Inhibition of Browning and Microorganism Growth in Apple Juice

“…It also has therapeutic potential for respiratory, colonic, autoimmune, adult-onset chronic non-communicable diseases, ischemic brain and cardiovascular injury, circadian disturbance, stroke, steatohepatitis, etc. [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Melatonin can efficiently scavenge a variety of ROS including hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), hydroxyl radical (HO•), nitric oxide (NO•), singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) and superoxide anion (O 2– •) [ 42 ].…”

Protective Efffects of Melatonin in Corpus Callosum Astrocytes during Ischemia in Transgenic Mice

“…During ischemia, excess ROS are generated and contribute to injury [25][26][27][28] . Melatonin is a potent antioxidant molecule that has been reported to have a protective eff ect during ischemia [9,10,29] . Melatonin receptors (mainly MT1 and MT2) are widely distributed in the mammalian CNS, hippocampus, caudate putamen, suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), paraventricular nucleus, periventricular nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, substantia nigra, mammillary bodies, retinas, nucleus basalis of Meynert, nucleus accumbens, and tuberomammillary nucleus [30][31][32] .…”

“…Melatonin is a neurohormone secreted from the pineal gland and plays a wide range of regulatory roles in the mammalian body such as the regulation of circadian rhythm [8] . It is also reported that melatonin is a potent antioxidant agent and has shown promising results as a therapeutic intervention in ischemic studies [3,6,7,9,10] . Melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) are widely distributed in the CNS [6] .…”