Melatonin, a hormone primarily known for regulating sleep, has emerged as a promising agent in the fight against viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections. This discovery offers hope for innovative treatments in the medical community. The motivation behind this research is to explore melatonin’s multifaceted role in immune response modulation, antioxidant activity, and potential therapeutic applications against a variety of pathogens.
Dr. Georges Maestroni, from the Center for Medical Pharmacology Research at Insubria University, led a comprehensive study examining the influence of melatonin on various infections. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Biomolecules. Dr. Maestroni explored how melatonin, synthesized in the pineal gland and peripheral organs, can stimulate immune responses, reduce inflammation, and potentially act as a therapeutic agent against infections.
The study highlights the dual function of melatonin: its circadian action, which enhances immune response, and its non-circadian effects, which provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. This dual functionality may offer a balanced and effective immune response against microbial pathogens. “Melatonin’s ability to integrate its circadian and non-circadian functions is crucial to generating a robust immune response,” explained Dr. Maestroni.
Significant results were observed in several models of viral infections. For example, melatonin demonstrated protective effects in mice infected with encephalomyocarditis virus and respiratory syncytial virus by reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies investigated the therapeutic potential of melatonin, with mixed results. While some studies reported benefits such as reduced complications and mortality in severely ill patients, others found no significant effect on survival rates. Dr. Maestroni emphasized, “The wide range of doses and treatment schedules used in these studies perpetuates misconceptions about the therapeutic properties of melatonin.”
In the case of bacterial infections, melatonin has shown promise in improving outcomes in sepsis models. For example, it improved survival of newborns with sepsis and enhanced bacterial clearance in mice infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, melatonin’s potential to combat antibiotic resistance was highlighted in studies conducted with tigecycline-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Notably, antibiotic resistance is a serious global health problem. The research underscored the need to better understand melatonin dosing and administration schedules to maximize its therapeutic efficacy.
Regarding parasitic infections, melatonin showed protective effects against malaria and trypanosomiasis. In rodent models, melatonin enhanced immune responses and reduced parasitic load. Of note, in cerebral malaria models, melatonin prevented brain damage and cognitive decline. These findings suggest that melatonin could be a valuable adjunctive therapy for the management of parasitic infections.
The study concluded that while melatonin shows significant potential in fighting infections, further research is needed to fully understand its mechanisms and optimize its therapeutic use. “The integration of melatonin’s immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory actions could provide a powerful tool in the fight against infections,” said Dr. Maestroni.
In summary, this research opens new avenues for exploring the role of melatonin beyond its traditional use in sleep regulation. By harnessing its immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties, melatonin could become a vital component for the development of treatments for a variety of infectious diseases. Dr. Maestroni believes that future studies will be crucial to refining melatonin-based therapies and establishing standardized protocols for their clinical application.
Journal reference
Maestroni, Georges JM “The role of melatonin in viral, bacterial and parasitic infections”. Biomolecules, 2024, 14, 356. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14030356
About the Author
Georges MaestroniBorn in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1947, he graduated in Biology from the State University of Milan, Italy, in 1973. In 1975, he joined the group of Prof. E. Sorkin at the Medizinisches Forschungsinstitut in Davos, Switzerland, where he began his research activity on the mutual relationship between the brain and the immune system. After a research period in 1977 at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, he worked at the Anatomical Institute of the University of Zurich, where he remained until 1981, when he moved to the Institute of Pathology in Locarno, Switzerland, where he founded and headed the Center for Experimental Pathology until 2008. Dr. Maestroni now holds the position of Scientific Consultant at the Center for Medical Pharmacology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. During his career, Dr. Maestroni pioneered studies on the immunoenhancing role of melatonin, as well as the regulation of hematopoiesis by the sympathetic nervous system.
Leave feedback about this