Modulation by Melatonin of the Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract

Melatonin is the major secretory product of the pineal gland during the night and has multiple activities including the regulation of circadian and seasonal rhythms, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It also possesses the ability to modulate immune responses by regulation of the T helper 1/2 balance and cytokine production. Autoimmune diseases, which result from the activation of immune cells by autoantigens released from normal tissues, affect around 5% of the population. Activation of autoantigen-specific immune cells leads to subsequent damage of target tissues by these activated cells. Melatonin therapy has been investigated in several animal models of autoimmune disease, where it has a beneficial effect in a number of models excepting rheumatoid arthritis, and has been evaluated in clinical autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. This review summarizes and highlights the role and the modulatory effects of melatonin in several inflammatory autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Melatonin attenuates TNF‐α and IL‐1β expression in synovial fibroblasts and diminishes cartilage degradation: Implications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

“…Similarly, in our study using CIA C57BL/6J mice, intraperitoneal melatonin treatment (10 and 30 mg/kg) ameliorated paw swelling, cartilage degradation, and bone erosion, as well as the production of TNF‐α and IL‐1β. These conflicting observations may result from the different doses of melatonin or various RA animal models used in the investigations . The relationship between melatonin and RA requires further research.…”

“…Melatonin has also shown immunomodulatory activity in T helper (Th)1/2 development . Furthermore, beneficial effects have been reported from investigations involving melatonin in animal models and clinical trials of various autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease, amongst others …”

Melatonin ameliorates brain injury induced by systemic lipopolysaccharide in neonatal rats

“…Several studies have indicated that melatonin may decrease the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibit the expression the pro-inflammatory enzymes iNOS and COX-2 in cells of the liver and lung of LPS-treated rats (Crespo et al, 1999, Esposito and Cuzzocrea, 2010, Mauriz et al, 2012, Lin et al, 2013). It has been suggested that melatonin protects against developing white matter damage by inhibiting microglial activation and oligodendroglial maturation, and these effects appear to be melatonin-receptor dependent (Olivier et al, 2009).…”

The influence deltaran and melatonin on immune system in rats, which wasaffected by experimental contact dermatitis

“…Разом з тим при його сумісному використанні з мелатоніном спостерігалася виразна коригувальна дія. Подібне потенці-ювання може пояснюватися комплексним ха-рактером впливу мелатоніну [10], в тому чис-лі й при атопічних алергічних станах [11] та його здатністю до корекції хронобіологічних процесів в організмі [10], які мають важливе значення для реалізації ефектів ДСІП [1,8].…”