Antioxidant Actions of Melatonin

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 2153

Special Issue Editor


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Division of Anatomy and Physiopathology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
Interests: aging; human anatomy; morphology; oxidative stress; inflammation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Compelling evidence indicates that various bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties contribute to improvements in quality of life by reducing the risk of cellular injury and thus delaying/preventing the onset of several diseases. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an endogenously produced indoleamine synthesized from the essential amino acid tryptophan. This indoleamine is ubiquitously present in all animals and plants where it exerts a variety of physiological activities. Melatonin is well known as a potent scavenger of reactive oxygen species and also as an indirect antioxidant agent due to its ability to up-regulate antioxidant enzymes and down-regulate pro-oxidant enzymes. Not only melatonin but also several of its precursors and metabolites can detoxify free radicals and their derivatives.

Due to its antioxidant properties, as well as other biological actions, melatonin could be a therapeutic/preventive option for improving several disorders. However, more research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits of melatonin.

In this Special Issue, researchers are invited to shed light on the antioxidant actions of melatonin against different injuries and disorders. This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts that introduce new discoveries and expand current knowledge on the impact of melatonin in antioxidant protection. Submissions of different article types to this Special Issue, especially original research papers, reviews, and mini-reviews, are welcome.

Dr. Gaia Favero
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • antioxidant effects
  • human health
  • melatonin
  • oxidative stress

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4412 KiB  
Article
The Protective Effects of Melatonin on Hainan Black Goats Under Heat Stress: Understanding Its Actions and Mechanisms
by Hao Wu, Baochun Qin, Guang Yang, Pengyun Ji, Yu Gao, Lu Zhang, Bingyuan Wang and Guoshi Liu
Antioxidants 2025, 14(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14010044 - 3 Jan 2025
Viewed by 823
Abstract
As the global climate changes, high temperatures will cause heat stress, which significantly affects the productive efficiency of livestock. Currently, there is a lack of efficient methods to use in targeting this issue. In this study, we report that melatonin supplementation may represent [...] Read more.
As the global climate changes, high temperatures will cause heat stress, which significantly affects the productive efficiency of livestock. Currently, there is a lack of efficient methods to use in targeting this issue. In this study, we report that melatonin supplementation may represent an alternative method to reduce the negative impact of heat stress on livestock, particularly in Hainan black goats. Our results show that melatonin treatment increased the average daily gain of Hainan black goats that were exposed to constantly high temperatures for two months compared to controls. Our mechanistic exploration revealed that melatonin treatment not only reduced the oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction caused by heat stress but also improved goats’ metabolic capacity, promoting their growth and development. More importantly, for the first time, we observed that melatonin treatment modified the abundance of the intestinal microflora, altering the metabolism of the goats, which further improved their tolerance to constant heat stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Actions of Melatonin)
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24 pages, 27514 KiB  
Article
Melatonin Ameliorates Organellar Calcium Homeostasis, Improving Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated Apoptosis in the Vastus Lateralis Muscle of Both Sexes of Obese Diabetic Rats
by Diego Salagre, Miguel Navarro-Alarcón, Luis Gerardo González, Mohamed A. Elrayess, Marina Villalón-Mir, Rocío Haro-López and Ahmad Agil
Antioxidants 2025, 14(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14010016 - 26 Dec 2024
Viewed by 917
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a crucial factor in the progression of obesity-related type 2 diabetes (diabesity), contributing to skeletal muscle (SKM) dysfunction, calcium imbalance, metabolic inflexibility, and muscle atrophy. The ER and mitochondria together regulate intracellular calcium levels, and melatonin, a natural [...] Read more.
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a crucial factor in the progression of obesity-related type 2 diabetes (diabesity), contributing to skeletal muscle (SKM) dysfunction, calcium imbalance, metabolic inflexibility, and muscle atrophy. The ER and mitochondria together regulate intracellular calcium levels, and melatonin, a natural compound with antioxidant properties, may alleviate these challenges. Our previous research showed that melatonin raises intracellular calcium and preserves muscle structure by enhancing mitochondrial function in obese diabetic rats. This study further explores melatonin’s potential to reduce ER stress in the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle by modulating the unfolded protein response (UPR) and restoring calcium levels disrupted by diabesity. Five-week-old Zücker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats and lean littermates of both sexes were divided into control and melatonin-treated groups (10 mg/kg/day for 12 weeks). Flame atomic absorption spectrometry results showed that melatonin restored VL intraorganellar calcium homeostasis, increasing calcium levels in mitochondria and reducing them in the ER by raising the activity and expression of calcium transporters in both sexes of ZDF rats. Melatonin also decreased ER stress markers (GRP78, ATF6, IRE1α, and PERK) and reduced pro-apoptosis markers (Bax, Bak, P-JNK, cleaved caspase 3 and 9) while increasing Bcl2 levels and melatonin receptor 2 (MT2) expression. These findings suggest that melatonin may protect against muscle atrophy in obese and diabetic conditions by mitigating ER stress and calcium imbalance, highlighting its therapeutic potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Actions of Melatonin)
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