Melatonin antioxidative defense : therapeutical implications for aging and neurodegenerative processes

• Autores: Pandi Perumal, Seithikurippu R.; BaHammam, Ahmed S.; Spence, David Warren; Brown, Gregory M.; Bharti, Vijay K.; Kaur, Charanjit; Hardeland, Rüdiger; Cardinali, Daniel Pedro
• Año de publicación: 2012
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Neurotoxicity Research. 2013, 23
• Materia: MELATONINA; RADICALES LIBRES; STRESS; ENVEJECIMIENTO; ENFERMEDAD DE PARKINSON; ENFERMEDAD DE ALZHEIMER; ENFERMEDAD DE HUNTINGTON
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina

Fil: Pandi Perumal, Seithikurippu R. Somnogen Canada Inc; Canadá
Fil: Pandi Perumal, Seithikurippu R. King Saud University. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Desórdenes del Sueño; Arabia Saudita
Fil: BaHammam, Ahmed S.King Saud University. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Desórdenes del Sueño; Arabia Saudita
Fil: Spence, David Warren. Investigador Independiente; Canadá
Fil: Brown, Gregory M. Universidad de Toronto. Departamento de Psiquiatría; Canadá
Fil: Brown, Gregory M. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; Canadá
Fil: Bharti, Vijay K. Ministry of Defence. Defence Research and Development Organization. Defence Institute of High Altitude Research; Nutrition and Toxicology Laboratory; India
Fil: Kaur, Charanjit. National University of Singapore. Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. Department of Anatomy; Singapur
Fil: Hardeland, Rüdiger. Universidad de Goettingen. Insituto Johann Friedrich Blumenbach de Zoología y Antropología; Alemania
Fil: Cardinali, Daniel P. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Departamento de Docencia e Investigación; Argentina
Abstract: The pineal product melatonin has remarkable antioxidant properties. It is secreted during darkness and plays a key role in various physiological responses including regulation of circadian rhythms, sleep homeostasis, retinal neuromodulation and vasomotor responses. It scavenges hydroxyl, carbonate and various organic radicals as well as a number of reactive nitrogen species. Melatonin also enhances the antioxidant potential of the cell by stimulating the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, and by augmenting glutathione levels. Melatonin preserves mitochondrial homeostasis, reduces free radical generation and protects mitochondrial ATP synthesis by stimulating Complex I and IV activities. The decline in melatonin production in aged individuals has been suggested as one of the primary contributing factors for the development of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. The efficacy of melatonin in preventing oxidative damage in either cultured neuronal cells or in the brains of animals treated with various neurotoxic agents, suggests that melatonin has a potential therapeutic value as a neuroprotective drug in treatment of Alzheimer´s disease (AD), Parkinson´s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington´s disease (HD), stroke and brain trauma. Therapeutic trials with melatonin indicate that it has a potential therapeutic value as a neuroprotective drug in treatment of AD, ALS and HD. In the case of other neurological conditions, like PD, the evidence is less compelling. Melatonin’s efficacy in combating free radical damage in the brain suggests that it can be a valuable therapeutic agent in the treatment of cerebral edema following traumatic brain injury or stroke. Clinical trials employing melatonin doses in the range of 50–100 mg/day are warranted before its relative merits as a neuroprotective agent is definitively established.