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Pleiotropic Benefits of Melatonin: From Basic Mechanisms to Disease 2.0
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Pleiotropic Benefits of Melatonin: From Basic Mechanisms to Disease 2.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2024) | Viewed by 10882

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yaiza Potes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Morphology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Interests: mitochondria; TSPO (The 18-kDa Translocator Protein)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Beatriz Caballero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Morphology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Interests: mitochondria; TSPO (The 18-kDa Translocator Protein); neurodegeneration; neurogenesis; melatonin; stem cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Melatonin is a compound that was first described in 1958 as a hormone synthesized by the pineal gland. Melatonin is a ubiquitous molecule in nature, being locally synthesized in several cells and tissues, which presents specific mechanisms and ways of action, including through binding to membrane and nuclear receptors. Currently, it can be considered a pleiotropic compound with important chronobiotic, antioxidant, oncostatic, and immunomodulatory properties. Growing evidence indicates that at the molecular and cellular level, there are many processes in which melatonin is involved, such as apoptosis, autophagy, mitochondria metabolism, redox signaling, inflammatory responses, etc. In this way, melatonin has emerged as a key molecule that positively affects several conditions and pathologies, including the aging process, neurodegenerative diseases, obesity, cancer, and viral infections, among others.  

This Special Issue aims to explore recent advances in the pleiotropic benefits of melatonin, moving from understanding basic mechanisms to disease. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, review articles, and short communications demonstrating the mechanisms at cellular and/or molecular level by which melatonin can offer protection against different pathologies using in vivo or in vitro models of study as well as in clinical settings.

Dr. Yaiza Potes
Dr. Beatriz Caballero
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • melatonin
  • oxidative stress
  • inflammation
  • mitochondria
  • cell death
  • aging
  • brain
  • obesity
  • cancer
  • viral infections

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 206 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue on “Pleiotropic Benefits of Melatonin: From Basic Mechanisms to Disease”
by Yaiza Potes and Beatriz Caballero
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5223; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065223 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1345
Abstract
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a multifunctional hormone that is naturally produced from tryptophan and released rhythmically throughout the night by the pineal gland to regulate sleep–wake cycles [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pleiotropic Benefits of Melatonin: From Basic Mechanisms to Disease 2.0)

Research

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21 pages, 2964 KiB  
Article
Melatonin Alleviates Liver Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Leptin-Deficient Mice
by Beatriz de Luxán-Delgado, Yaiza Potes, Adrian Rubio-González, Juan José Solano, José Antonio Boga, Eduardo Antuña, Cristina Cachán-Vega, Juan Carlos Bermejo-Millo, Nerea Menéndez-Coto, Claudia García-González, Gonçalo C. Pereira, Beatriz Caballero, Ana Coto-Montes and Ignacio Vega-Naredo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(16), 8677; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25168677 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1032
Abstract
Despite efforts to elucidate the cellular adaptations induced by obesity, cellular bioenergetics is currently considered a crucial target. New strategies to delay the onset of the hazardous adaptations induced by obesity are needed. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of 4 weeks of melatonin [...] Read more.
Despite efforts to elucidate the cellular adaptations induced by obesity, cellular bioenergetics is currently considered a crucial target. New strategies to delay the onset of the hazardous adaptations induced by obesity are needed. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of 4 weeks of melatonin treatment on mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism in the livers of leptin-deficient mice. Our results revealed that the absence of leptin increased lipid storage in the liver and induced significant mitochondrial alterations, which were ultimately responsible for defective ATP production and reactive oxygen species overproduction. Moreover, leptin deficiency promoted mitochondrial biogenesis, fusion, and outer membrane permeabilization. Melatonin treatment reduced the bioenergetic deficit found in ob/ob mice, alleviating some mitochondrial alterations in the electron transport chain machinery, biogenesis, dynamics, respiration, ATP production, and mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization. Given the role of melatonin in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis, it could be used as a therapeutic agent against adipogenic steatosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pleiotropic Benefits of Melatonin: From Basic Mechanisms to Disease 2.0)
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22 pages, 6470 KiB  
Article
Melatonin Alleviates Intestinal Barrier Damaging Effects Induced by Polyethylene Microplastics in Albino Rats
by Walaa Bayoumie El Gazzar, Rania E. Sliem, Heba Bayoumi, Hend Elsayed Nasr, Manar Shabanah, Amira Elalfy, Shaimaa E. Radwaan, Mohammed A. Gebba, Heba M. Mansour, Amul M. Badr, Marwa Fathy Amer, Sara S. Ashour, Heba Morsi, El Shaimaa Ahmed Fahmy Aboelkomsan, Bodour Baioumy, Alaa El-Din Hamid Sayed and Amina A. Farag
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13619; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713619 - 3 Sep 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2353
Abstract
There have been concerns about the potential health risks posed by microplastics (MP). The detection of MP in a variety of food products revealed that humans are ingesting MP. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of data about their impacts, as well as their [...] Read more.
There have been concerns about the potential health risks posed by microplastics (MP). The detection of MP in a variety of food products revealed that humans are ingesting MP. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of data about their impacts, as well as their uptake, on intestinal barrier integrity. This study examined the toxic effects of oral administration of two doses of polyethylene microplastics (PE-MP) (3.75 or 15 mg/kg/day for 5 weeks; mean particle size: 4.0–6.0 µm) on the intestinal barrier integrity in rats. Moreover, the effect of melatonin treatment with MP exposure was also assessed. The PE-MP particle uptake, histopathological changes, Alcian blue staining, Muc2 mRNA, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α), and cleaved caspase-3, as well as tight junction proteins (claudin-1, myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK), occludin, and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1)) were assessed. Oral administration of PE-MP resulted in apparent jejunal histopathological alterations; significantly decreased mucin secretion, occludin, ZO-1, and claudin-1 expression; and significantly upregulated MLCK mRNA, IL-1β concentration, and cleaved caspase-3 expression. Melatonin reversed these altered parameters and improved the PE-MP-induced histopathological and ultrastructure changes. This study highlighted the PE-MP’s toxic effect on intestinal barrier integrity and revealed the protective effect of melatonin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pleiotropic Benefits of Melatonin: From Basic Mechanisms to Disease 2.0)
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20 pages, 12261 KiB  
Article
Melatonin Prevents Depression but Not Anxiety-like Behavior Produced by the Chemotherapeutic Agent Temozolomide: Implication of Doublecortin Cells and Hilar Oligodendrocytes
by Edith Araceli Cabrera-Muñoz, Gerardo Bernabé Ramírez-Rodríguez, Lizeth Díaz-Yañez, Verónica Reyes-Galindo, David Meneses-San Juan and Nelly Maritza Vega-Rivera
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13376; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713376 - 29 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1601
Abstract
Melatonin is a hormone synthesized by the pineal gland with neuroprotective and neurodevelopmental effects. Also, melatonin acts as an antidepressant by modulating the generation of new neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The positive effects of melatonin on behavior and neural [...] Read more.
Melatonin is a hormone synthesized by the pineal gland with neuroprotective and neurodevelopmental effects. Also, melatonin acts as an antidepressant by modulating the generation of new neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The positive effects of melatonin on behavior and neural development may suggest it is used for reverting stress but also for the alterations produced by chemotherapeutic drugs influencing behavior and brain plasticity. In this sense, temozolomide, an alkylating/anti-proliferating agent used in treating brain cancer, is associated with decreased cognitive functions and depression. We hypothesized that melatonin might prevent the effects of temozolomide on depression- and anxiety-like behavior by modulating some aspects of the neurogenic process in adult Balb/C mice. Mice were treated with temozolomide (25 mg/kg) for three days of two weeks, followed by melatonin (8 mg/kg) for fourteen days. Temozolomide produced short- and long-term decrements in cell proliferation (Ki67-positive cells: 54.89% and 53.38%, respectively) and intermediate stages of the neurogenic process (doublecortin-positive cells: 68.23% and 50.08%, respectively). However, melatonin prevented the long-term effects of temozolomide with the increased number of doublecortin-positive cells (47.21%) and the immunoreactivity of 2′ 3′-Cyclic-nucleotide-3 phosphodiesterase (CNPase: 82.66%), an enzyme expressed by mature oligodendrocytes, in the hilar portion of the dentate gyrus. The effects of melatonin in the temozolomide group occurred with decreased immobility in the forced swim test (45.55%) but not anxiety-like behavior. Thus, our results suggest that melatonin prevents the harmful effects of temozolomide by modulating doublecortin cells, hilar oligodendrocytes, and depression-like behavior tested in the forced swim test. Our study could point out melatonin’s beneficial effects for counteracting temozolomide’s side effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pleiotropic Benefits of Melatonin: From Basic Mechanisms to Disease 2.0)
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Review

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16 pages, 1001 KiB  
Review
Melatonin and Kidney Health: From Fetal Stage to Later Life
by Kuo-Shu Tang, Chun-Yi Ho, Chien-Ning Hsu and You-Lin Tain
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 8105; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24098105 - 30 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3926
Abstract
Melatonin, an endogenous hormone mainly released at night by the pineal gland, has multifaceted biofunctions. Emerging evidence points to melatonin having a crucial role in kidney health and disease. As the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is still rising, a superior strategy [...] Read more.
Melatonin, an endogenous hormone mainly released at night by the pineal gland, has multifaceted biofunctions. Emerging evidence points to melatonin having a crucial role in kidney health and disease. As the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is still rising, a superior strategy to advance global kidney health is needed to not just treat CKD, but prevent it early on. Adult kidney disease can have its origins in early life. This review aims to evaluate the recent literature regarding melatonin’s effect on kidney development, its clinical uses in the early stage of life, animal models documenting preventive applications of melatonin on offspring’s kidney-related disease, and a thorough summary of therapeutic considerations concerning melatonin supplementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pleiotropic Benefits of Melatonin: From Basic Mechanisms to Disease 2.0)
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