Melatonin in Health and Disease: A Perspective for Livestock Production

Abstract

Mounting evidence in the literature indicates an important role of endogenous and exogenous melatonin in driving physiological and molecular adaptations in livestock. Melatonin has been extensively studied in seasonally polyestrous animals whereby supplementation studies have been used to adjust circannual rhythms in herds of animals under abnormal photoperiodic conditions. Livestock undergo multiple metabolic and physiological adaptation processes throughout their production cycle which can result in decreased immune response leading to chronic illness, weight loss, or decreased production efficiency; however, melatonin’s antioxidant capacity and immunostimulatory properties could alleviate these effects. The cardiovascular system responds to melatonin and depending on receptor type and localization, melatonin can vasodilate or vasoconstrict several systemic arteries, thereby controlling whole animal nutrient partitioning via vascular resistance. Increased incidences of non-communicable diseases in populations exposed to circadian disruption have uncovered novel pathways of neurohormones, such as melatonin, influence health, and disease. Perturbations in immune function can negatively impact the growth and development of livestock which has been examined following melatonin supplementation. Specifically, melatonin can influence nutrient uptake, circulating nutrient profiles, and endocrine profiles controlling economically important livestock growth and development. This review focuses on the physiological, cellular, and molecular implications of melatonin on the health and disease of domesticated food animals.

Melatonin Administration to Pregnant Ewes for Coccidiosis Control in Their Offspring

“…It has been demonstrated that melatonin is involved in a bidirectional circuit with the immune system [6] acting as an "immunological buffer" accompanied by innate and other specific responses of the immune system. Particularly, melatonin contributes to improvement of the immune response via two main mechanisms; it amplifies antigen presentation to immunocompetent cells, enhancing the antibody response, and it modulates cytokine production resulting in controlling cellular responses [24]. Accordingly, in the present study, KM-ewes registered the higher level of IgG, both in blood and colostrum samples, compared to other groups.…”

Proteomics Analysis of Pregnancy in Ewes under Heat Stress Conditions and Melatonin Administration

“…Furthermore, studies have shown that melatonin plays a bidirectional role in the immune system, acting as a buffer to regulate innate and other specific immune responses [17]. Melatonin enhances immune functions through two main mechanisms: increasing antigen presentation to immune cells, thereby boosting antibody production, and regulating cytokine production to control cellular responses [18]. Specifically, melatonin administration enhances cytokine production by increasing the proliferation of B cells and the release of cytokines associated with the T helper cells type 1 (Th1) immune response, such as interleukin (IL)-2 and interferongamma (IFN-γ).…”

MELATONIN INDUCES CHANGES ON THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS OF REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES DURING SPERMATOGENESIS IN PUBERTAL MALE SEA BASS,Dicentrarchus labrax

“…Recent evidence shows that melatonin has considerable potential for optimizing animal physiological functions and, in turn, improving the efficiency of animal husbandry (Li et al 2023;Contreras-Correa et al, 2023).…”