Novel Melatonin Based Therapies

Dear Colleagues,

Melatonin has emerged in the last decade as a promising agent to counteract most of the physiopathological events that trigger several disorders. Most of the beneficial molecular functions exerted by melatonin are due to the following: Its small size and amphiphilic nature allow the molecule to easily diffuse through any membrane, reaching cytosolic, mitochondrial and nuclear compartments. It is a potent scavenger of free radicals, both directly and indirectly, inhibiting the activity of prooxidative enzymes and stimulating antioxidant enzymes through interactions with two high-affinity G protein-coupled receptors. It can activate or inhibit crucial signaling cascades involved in cell protection and survival. It plays a dominant role as a circadian neuroendocrine transducer, immune system stimulator, and effective anti-inflammatory agent. It displays multiple direct epigenetic actions. Its efficacy is strengthened by its very low toxic hazard; even at high doses, serious adverse side effects have not been reported. In this Special Issue, we will focus on the use of melatonin as an adjuvant treatment in a wide variety of diseases, which could be of critical importance for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

This Special Issue will serve as a forum to bring together researchers of different fields to share advances in the knowledge of the therapeutic uses of melatonin.

Prof. Dr. Alejandro Romero Martínez
Prof. Dr. Russel J. Reiter
Prof. Dr. Germaine Escames
Guest Editors

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