Melatonin Metabolite Excretion during Childhood and Puberty

Tetsuo, M.; Poth, Merrily; Markey, Sanford P.

doi:10.1210/jcem-55-2-311

Cited by 53 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Waldhauser et al [5] reported maxi mum nighttime blood MLT concentrations during early childhood (1-5 years) and an exponential decrease there after. Fellenberg et al [8], Tetsuo et al [ 11 ], and Young et al [12] studied the MLTS excretion in children from 2 or 3 years to adulthood with different methods and obtained results similar to ours. Kennaway et al [21] who studied the MLTS excretion during the 1st year of life in preterm and term babies also found an increase of the MLTS excretion after 4-6 months of age in the same range as we did.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Melatonin and 6-Hydroxymelatonin Sulfate Excretion Is Inversely Correlated with Gonadal Development in Children

Commentz

Uhlig²,

Henke³

et al. 1997

Horm Res

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To delineate the development of melatonin (MLT) production during childhood, we measured the excretion of MLT and 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate (MLTS) in the urine of children (n = 134) from the 26th week of gestation until the age of 20 years. MLTS excretion showed a diphasic pattern with declining values in preterm babies with lowest values around term. After birth, the values remained low for the first 6 months of life. The highest values were reached between 4 and 7 years of age with a smooth but steady decline thereafter. A night-day difference was not detectable before the age of 6 months; the greatest night-day variations occurred at the time of the highest MLTS excretions. The MLT values showed an identical pattern but with amounts 1,000 times smaller; the ratio of MLTS to MLT increased from 40:1 in preterm babies to 900:1 in prepubertal children. In summary, the MLT/MLTS excretion exhibits the highest activity with respect to total secretory capacities as well as night-day differences at the time of gonadal quiescence during childhood. The strong inverse correlation of MLT and MLTS excretion with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal activity points to a causal relationship between pineal gland activity and pubertal development.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Melatonin and 6-Hydroxymelatonin Sulfate Excretion Is Inversely Correlated with Gonadal Development in Children

Commentz

Uhlig²,

Henke³

et al. 1997

Horm Res

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“…To date little information is available to support any of these explanations. The finding of similar excretion of 6-hydroxymelatonin in children and adults has been in terpreted to signify that melatonin production by the pi neal gland does not change during growth [40]. Based on that observation, the higher melatonin plasma concentra tions found in younger individuals were attributed to a smaller volume of distribution [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Plasma Melatonin Rhythm in Normal Puberty: Interactions of Age and Pubertal Stages

Cavallo

1992

Neuroendocrinology

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Studies on the relation between the pineal and human puberty have yielded conflicting results, partly due to methodologic issues, such as failure to consider the characteristic secretory rhythm of melatonin, or exclusion of normal subjects. Melatonin nocturnal rhythm was assessed in 62 normal subjects (ages 5–17 years), in whom hourly blood samples were collected by constant withdrawal from 18.00 to 08.00 h. Melatonin peak and mean integrated nocturnal concentrations were highly correlated (r = 0.90, p < 0.05) and data are shown for melatonin peak. Tanner criteria were applied for pubertal stages. Mean melatonin peak was 153.6 ± 72.6 pg/ml for stage 1, 141.0 ± 26.2 pg/ml for stage 2, and 116.6 ± 43.6 pg/ml for stages 3–5. There was a significant linear trend for decreasing melatonin peak with puberty. The subjects were also grouped into discrete age groups (5–6.99 years through 15–17 years); a significant linear trend was present for decreasing melatonin peak with age. The correlation between melatonin peak and age for all cases was r = –0.29, p < 0.05. Analysis of covariance for melatonin peak among the pubertal groups showed no relation of melatonin and puberty when age was covaried. The time of peak was not significantly different among the pubertal groups or the age groups, despite a significant linear trend for later bedtime with age. The duration of the nocturnal surge was not significantly different among the pubertal groups. The data suggest that an overlapping effect of age may mask an interaction between the pineal and normal human puberty.

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“…and increases between 3 and 12 months of age [5]. Uri nary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (corrected for body surface area) is low until 6-10 weeks after birth, peaks between 4 and 7 years and then drops [6], though no drop is seen if changes in body surface area or size are not taken into account [7], Waldhauser et al [8] looked at night-time melatonin levels in 367 men and women, aged from 1 to 90 years. There were high levels in childhood peaking at 1-3 years of age, considerably lower levels between 15 and 20, and then a moderate decline until old age.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Day-Night Rhythm Disturbance, Pineal Function and Human Disease

Brown¹

1992

Horm Res

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Depression, mania and probably starvation all induce changes in pineal function. At present it is unknown what secondary effects on the endocrine and other systems are produced by these changes. Studies in rats have established an entraining effect of melatonin on locomotor activity and a feedback effect on the pineal itself. Studies of jet-lag and of sleep dysregulation in a blind subject established that melatonin treatment has a synchronizing effect in these conditions. Further investigations will be necessary to establish whether melatonin reduction in depression and other disorders leads secondarily to dysregulation of other circadian rhythms.

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Melatonin Metabolite Excretion during Childhood and Puberty

Cited by 53 publications

References 14 publications

Melatonin and 6-Hydroxymelatonin Sulfate Excretion Is Inversely Correlated with Gonadal Development in Children

Melatonin and 6-Hydroxymelatonin Sulfate Excretion Is Inversely Correlated with Gonadal Development in Children

Plasma Melatonin Rhythm in Normal Puberty: Interactions of Age and Pubertal Stages

Day-Night Rhythm Disturbance, Pineal Function and Human Disease

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