Melatonin: exceeding expectations

  • Physiology (Bethesda). 2014 Sep;29(5):325-33. doi: 10.1152/physiol.00011.2014.
Russel J Reiter  1 ,  Dun Xian Tan  2 ,  Annia Galano  3
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas; and [email protected].
  • 2. Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas; and.
  • 3. Departamento de Quimica, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico D.F., Mexico.
PMID: 25180262 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00011.2014
Abstract

Melatonin is a small, highly conserved indole with numerous receptor-mediated and receptor-independent actions. Receptor-dependent functions include circadian rhythm regulation, sleep, and Cancer inhibition. The receptor-independent actions relate to melatonin's ability to function in the detoxification of free radicals, thereby protecting critical molecules from the destructive effects of oxidative stress under conditions of ischemia/reperfusion injury (stroke, heart attack), ionizing radiation, and drug toxicity, among Others. Melatonin has numerous applications in physiology and medicine.