Benzodiazepines (BZDs) constitute the most widely used symptomatic treatment of in- somnia and anxiety. Many of these drugs are associated with adverse effects, such as daytime sedation and dependence with continued use. There is a concern about the rationale for and extent of benzodiazepine...

This chapter discusses early studies on melatonin-bone relationships and recent data that suggest a direct effect of melatonin on bone. Suppression of melatonin secretion lowered serum calcium concentration, an effect prevented by melatonin administration. Treatment of ovariectomized rats...

Oxidative stress participates in the complex process of carcinogenesis. Any carcinogen may initiate the process of cancer development by generating free radicals. Numerous indicators of oxidative damage are enhanced in result of this carcinogenic action. Melatonin...

In this review, data from reports on relationships, observed between melatonin – the main pineal hormone - and the thyroid gland, are briefly summarized. The prevailing part of the survey is devoted to melatonin influence on thyroid growth processes and function. Much evidence has been...

The temporary interruption of blood flow to an organ followed by reperfusion of the tissue with oxygenated blood is highly destructive to the affective cells. While this pro cess, generally referred to as ischemia/reperfusion, can happen in any organ, when this sequence of events occurs in...

In the course of aging, the incidence of both acute and chronic heart diseases, systematically increases. Concentrations of some hormones decrease in the course of aging, e.g., melatonin concentrations in serum and urinary levels of its main metabolite, 6-sulphatoxymelatonin, are lower in...

Some sleep problems are due to abnormal timing of the circadian system. Circadian rhythm sleep disorders can be treated with appropriately timed bright light which normalizes circadian rhythm timing. Some evidence in animals and humans suggests that the circadian system may be...

Migraine can be viewed as a transient disturbance of the body adaptive response to internal or external environmental changes. Among these factors, light is a major precipitating or aggravating factor of attacks. The few reports on migraine melatonin (MLT) relationship are concordant with...

In 1986, fibrillin was first identified as a large noncollagenous glycoprotein associated with a certain type of microfibril ubiquitous in the connective tissue space.1 Because fibrillin monoclonal antibodies displayed a clear periodic labeling of microfibrils, we proposed that fibrillin was a...

We have provided evidence that pineal 5-hydroxytryptomine (5-HT or serotonin) production is up regulated at night, and is controlled by beta-adrenergic signaling.1 In this paper, we demonstrate that the increased 5-HT synthesis is due to increased protein expression of tryptophan hydroxylase...

Many theories relating the pineal gland and its secretory product melatonin to aging have been put forward. However, the role of this agent in the aging process is still not clear. Although aging process is multifactoral, and no single element seems to be of basic importance for several...

Melatonin is a lipophilic hormone that causes a broad spectrum of metabolic and physiological effects in the Central Nervous System and peripheral organs. It has been described that the hormone modulates kidney physiology, since modifies urine production and osmolarity in rats. MDCK cells are...

Melatonin released from the pineal gland acts as an endocrine hormone on many distant target cells. Melatonin is also produced in the retina of most vertebrates, including humans, but its most likely role is to serve as a paracrine and intracrine signal of darkness to retinal cells. Melatonin...

Pituitary cells from neonatal animals express functional MT1 subtype of melatonin receptors that signal through pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins. Their activation by melatonin leads to a decrease in cAMP production and activity of protein kinase A, and attenuation of gonadotropin-releasing...

Melatonin secretion, occurring at night in both diurnal and nocturnal species, provides an important circadian signal for initiating different types of behavior. In diurnal vertebrates, e.g., humans, macaques, zebrafish, this pineal hormone also has a pronounced acute effect on sleep. This...

A vast number of experimental and clinical studies implicates oxygen-derived free radi cals (especially, superoxide and hydroxyl radical) and high energy oxidants (such as peroxynitrite) as mediators of acute and chronic inflammation. The purpose of this review is to describe the role of...

Synthesis and release of pineal melatonin are increased at night with a season-dependent characteristic pattern. The seasonal alterations in melatonin production constitute a key endocrine message used to time annual functions with seasons. Although the nervous pathway and cellular/molecular...

Today, a chronobiotic is defined as a substance capable of shifting the phase of the CTS and reentraining circadian rhythms that have been dissociated in the short-term, or desynchronized in the long-term. The most widely recognized chronobiotic is melatonin. Its phase-shifting effects have...

During the past decade, a number of reports, sometimes contradictory, appeared concerning the role of the pineal gland in aging.1-4 Melatonin is the main pineal hormone synthesized from tryptophan, predominantly at night time.5 Melatonin is critical for the regulation of circadian and seasonal...

The secretion of the pineal hormone melatonin is under control of the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei, the seat of the central circadian clock, and conveys information concerning time of day as well as season to practically all parts of the body. This means that melatonin is an integral...

In many animals, the day length response is mediated by circadian rhythm of melatonin (MLT). Although humans are not generally considered to be photoperiodic, the exposure to bright light was shown to be necessary to suppress MLT secretion and to shift the circadian phase. Moreover, seasonal...

Melatonin (5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine) is a major hormone produced by the pi neal gland. Presence of melatonin in the pineal gland was first reported in 1958 by Lerner et al.75 Since this discovery it was clearly demonstrated that melatonin plays crucial role in the regulation daily and...

Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine often accompanied by vertebral rotation. The most common form of scoliosis is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). It is believed that there are several, separate causes of scoliosis all with a common end result which hinders...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to play a major role in the pathogenesis of a wide range of human disorders. This may be a particularly important pathogenetic mechanism in the newborn nursery. The phrase “oxygen radical disease of prematurity” has been coined to collectively...

Melatonin was first purified nearly fifty years ago and has since been identified as a sleep promoting, thermoregulatory and circadian agent in humans. In this chapter we examine the shifting perspective on the endogenous functions of melatonin, from evidence examining its exogenous effects on...

Melatonin, the hormone secreted nocturnally from the pineal gland, is an androgen protagonist in vivo. Its effects are mostly demonstrable under conditions of low circulating androgen levels (e.g., during pubertal development, under conditions of chemical or surgical castration or androgen...

Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is a common but little reported cause of severe insomnia. Characteristic symptoms of this poorly defined circadian rhythm disorder are sleep onset insomnia and trouble to awake at conventional hours. Generally DSPS patients feel more alert at night than in...