Melatonin: Buffering the Immune System
1
Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS) and Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
2
Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS) and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2013, 14(4), 8638-8683; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms14048638
Received: 1 March 2013
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Revised: 6 April 2013
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Accepted: 7 April 2013
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Published: 22 April 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Research of Melatonin)
Melatonin modulates a wide range of physiological functions with pleiotropic effects on the immune system. Despite the large number of reports implicating melatonin as an immunomodulatory compound, it still remains unclear how melatonin regulates immunity. While some authors argue that melatonin is an immunostimulant, many studies have also described anti-inflammatory properties. The data reviewed in this paper support the idea of melatonin as an immune buffer, acting as a stimulant under basal or immunosuppressive conditions or as an anti-inflammatory compound in the presence of exacerbated immune responses, such as acute inflammation. The clinical relevance of the multiple functions of melatonin under different immune conditions, such as infection, autoimmunity, vaccination and immunosenescence, is also reviewed.
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Keywords:
melatonin; pineal; immune system; cytokines; inflammation; infection; autoimmunity; vaccination; immunosenescence
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MDPI and ACS Style
Carrillo-Vico, A.; Lardone, P.J.; Álvarez-Sánchez, N.; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, A.; Guerrero, J.M. Melatonin: Buffering the Immune System. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2013, 14, 8638-8683. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms14048638
AMA Style
Carrillo-Vico A, Lardone PJ, Álvarez-Sánchez N, Rodríguez-Rodríguez A, Guerrero JM. Melatonin: Buffering the Immune System. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2013; 14(4):8638-8683. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms14048638
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarrillo-Vico, Antonio, Patricia J. Lardone, Nuria Álvarez-Sánchez, Ana Rodríguez-Rodríguez, and Juan M. Guerrero. 2013. "Melatonin: Buffering the Immune System" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 14, no. 4: 8638-8683. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms14048638
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