Melatonin, pituitary function and stress in humans

Vaughan, George M.; McDonald, Stephen D.; Jordan, Richard M.; Allen, John P.; Bell, Rodney; Stevens, Edwin A.

doi:10.1016/0306-4530(79)90018-0

Cited by 72 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Furthermore the f)-adrenergic receptor num ber in the pineal of 3-month-old rats appears to be within normal limits [35]. Thus although doubtlessly sympathetic innervation of the pineal is important for the nocturnal me-iatonin surge [13,18,32], our results suggest that the control of pineal melatonin production by [3-adrenergic mechanism may not be the only mechanism. This is consistent with the findings that while P-blockade suppresses the nocturnal melatonin surge [10], daytime P-adrenergic stimulation fails to raise melatonin in Syrian hamsters [11] and in humans [33].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Aging and Diurnal Rhythms of Pineal Serotonin, 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid, Norepinephrine, Dopamine and Serum Melatonin in the Male Rat

1985

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Pineal serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection and serum melatonin was measured by radioimmunoassay in rats aged 3 weeks, 8 weeks and 18 months. They were killed either at mid-light or mid-dark of a 12 h light:12 h dark cycle. Diurnal rhythms were observed for 5-HT and 5-HIAA in all ages studied while those for NE and DA were not observed in the 18-month-old animals. Pineal 5-HT and 5-HIAA were higher in 3-week-old rats at mid-dark, and lower at mid-light than in older animals. The pineal content of NE was lower in the 3-week-old rats at mid-dark and mid-light compared with that in the 8-week-old while the DA content was lower at mid-dark. In addition, pineal 5-HT, 5-HIAA, NE and DA were lower in the 18-month-old than in the 8-week-old animals at mid-dark. At mid-dark serum melatonin levels showed an age-related decrease. This study shows that an age-related decrease of pineal 5-HT, 5-HIAA, NE and DA can only be demonstrated at mid-dark and that the age-related decrease of melatonin may not be due to a decrease in sympathetic activity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Aging and Diurnal Rhythms of Pineal Serotonin, 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid, Norepinephrine, Dopamine and Serum Melatonin in the Male Rat

1985

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“…The same authors also stud ied patients with a variety of endocrine con ditions such as adrenalectomy with high ACTH levels, ACTH deficiency with second ary adrenal insufficiency, acromegaly with increased GH levels and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism [Vaughan et al, 1979]. The melatonin rhythm remained unchanged in these altered hormonal states.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simultaneous Study of 24-Hour Patterns of Melatonin and Cortisol Secretion in Depressed Patients

et al. 1982

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The temporal organization of melatonin and cortisol secretion were studied in depressed patients in order to investigate a possible relationship between the secretory patterns of the two hormones. Women who suffered from a primary affective disorder were studied twice as inpatients, the first time during the depressive episode and the second time after amitriptyline treatment and clinical recovery. During both 24-hour studies blood was collected at 1-hour intervals during the day and at 30-min intervals at night. A dissociation of melatonin and cortisol secretory patterns was observed in the 3 patients in whom the two hormones were determined simultaneously. 2 patients exhibited alterations in the circadian rhythm of both hormones during illness. After recovery, however, the melatonin rhythm remained altered but the cortisol rhythm was normalized. Another patient showed a nocturnal melatonin rise and day-night melatonin differences closer to those seen in normal subjects, but she had altered cortisol secretory patterns during depression which normalized after recovery. These results suggest that the melatonin and cortisol rhythms are controlled by different mechanisms.

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“…Elevated concentrations of glucocorticoids were found to inhibit pineal melatonin formation (Zhao and Toitou 1993) and to reduce plasma melatonin levels (Beck-Friis et al 1983;Demisch et al 1988). In line with these inconsistent e¤ects of adrenal steroids on the production and release of melatonin are reports on the inßuence of di¤erent kinds of stress on melatonin production in experimental animals (Lynch et al 1977;Vaughan et al 1979;Tannenbaum et al 1988) and humans (Vaughan et al 1979;Carr et al 1981;Theintz et al 1984;Strassmann et al 1989). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

No evidence for a physiological coupling between melatonin and glucocorticoids

et al. 1997

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Much has been speculated about the existence of a physiological coupling between melatonin and glucocorticoid secretion and about a possible anti-stress action of melatonin. We examined the relationship between melatonin and glucocorticoid secretion under close-to-physiological conditions, when the plasma concentration of either melatonin or glucocorticoids was elevated acutely or chronically in both rats and humans. Tryptophan administration caused a massive rise of plasma melatonin, but had no effect on corticosterone levels in rats or on cortisol levels in humans. The acute and long-lasting exposure of rats to uncontrollable stress resulted in a significant rise of adrenal corticosterone secretion, but had no effect on circulating melatonin levels. Orchectomy caused an initial increase in circulating corticosterone (when melatonin was unaffected) and a delayed rise in circulating melatonin (when corticosterone levels were normalized). In humans, no correlation was found between the nocturnal urinary excretion of melatonin and cortisol, either among healthy subjects, or among patients suffering from panic disorder (with an increased urinary excretion of cortisol) or among insomnia patients (with a high incidence of low melatonin secretion). Furthermore, no evidence was found for a suppressive action of melatonin on dexamethasone-mediated thymus regression in rats and on dexamethasone-mediated suppression of lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. Taken together, the results of this study provide no evidence for the existence of mutual influences between melatonin and glucocorticoid secretion, nor do they support the proposed attenuation of glucocorticoid-mediated effects on target cells or tissues by melatonin under physiological conditions.

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Melatonin, pituitary function and stress in humans

Cited by 72 publications

References 30 publications

Aging and Diurnal Rhythms of Pineal Serotonin, 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid, Norepinephrine, Dopamine and Serum Melatonin in the Male Rat

Aging and Diurnal Rhythms of Pineal Serotonin, 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid, Norepinephrine, Dopamine and Serum Melatonin in the Male Rat

Simultaneous Study of 24-Hour Patterns of Melatonin and Cortisol Secretion in Depressed Patients

No evidence for a physiological coupling between melatonin and glucocorticoids

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