Neurobiological effects of melatonin as related to cancer

Melatonin is a neurohormone naturally found in humans. Melatonin plays a role in maintaining sleep-wake rhythms; supplementation may help to regulate sleep disturbance that occur with jet lag, rotating shift-work and depression. Preliminary study of melatonin has shown potential for use in the treat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of cancer prevention 2007-12, Vol.16 (6), p.511-516
Main Authors: Hoang, Ba X., Shaw, David G., Pham, Phuong T., Levine, Stephen A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging - drug effects
Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology
Biological Clocks - drug effects
Clinical Trials as Topic
Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
Excitatory Amino Acid Agents - pharmacology
Headache - drug therapy
Humans
Melatonin - pharmacology
Melatonin - physiology
Melatonin - therapeutic use
Membrane Potentials - drug effects
Models, Biological
Molecular Biology
Neoplasms - drug therapy
Neoplasms - etiology
Neoplasms - prevention & control
Neurodegenerative Diseases - drug therapy
Neurotoxins - antagonists & inhibitors
Neurotransmitter Agents - pharmacology
Neurotransmitter Agents - physiology
Pain - drug therapy
Seizures - drug therapy
Sleep - drug effects
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Summary:Melatonin is a neurohormone naturally found in humans. Melatonin plays a role in maintaining sleep-wake rhythms; supplementation may help to regulate sleep disturbance that occur with jet lag, rotating shift-work and depression. Preliminary study of melatonin has shown potential for use in the treatment of epilepsy, tinnitus, migraine and neurodegenerative diseases. The latest publication in the Journal of Pineal Research by Edward Mills and colleagues has shown a compelling role of melatonin for the treatment of cancer. Melatonin's consistent relationship with cancer has been shown in many studies assessing links between shift work and cancer rates. High levels of melatonin have been linked to slower cancer progression. How melatonin affects cancer remains largely unclear. Although previous studies suggest different possible mechanisms, many of them are far distant from the primary physiological role of melatonin as a neurohormone. Conflicting studies are found on the role of melatonin in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. In this article, we try to build and substantiate a neurobiological concept for the anticancer effects of melatonin.
ISSN:0959-8278
1473-5709
DOI:10.1097/CEJ.0b013e32801023dc