Therapeutic Advances in Melatonin Research

In the last decade, melatonin has emerged as a promising molecule to counteract most of the physiopathological events that trigger several disorders, including neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic disorders and more. It is a potent scavenger of free radicals, both directly and indirectly, inhibiting the activity of prooxidative enzymes and stimulating antioxidant enzymes. Many melatonin actions are also mediated through the interaction with two high-affinity G protein-coupled receptors and it can activate or inhibit crucial signaling cascades involved in cell protection and survival. Melatonin has been pointed out as a circadian neuroendocrine transducer and immune stimulatory and effective anti-inflammatory agent. It displays multiple direct epigenetic actions and has a very low toxic hazard, even at high doses, which is supported by the reported lack of serious adverse side-effects. Furthermore, the use of melatonin as an adjuvant treatment for a wide variety of diseases could be of critical importance when developing novel therapeutics.

Research on the molecular mechanisms underlying the multiple actions displayed by melatonin, as well as in vitro, in vivo and clinical findings, support its broad protective potential against several pathologies. Given its multiple functions, reductions of local melatonin have increasingly been considered to be contributor of a large number of diseases with the melatonergic system becoming of paramount importance in the development and expansion of them. In this context, despite of having a great amount of scientific evidence which appears to show that melatonin is safe, even at high doses, additional studies are required to translate the therapeutic potential of melatonin to clinical practice.

This Research Topic will serve as a forum to bring together researchers of different fields to advance in the knowledge of the therapeutic use of melatonin and clinical aspects of melatonin in human health. Original Research and General Commentaries will be particularly welcomed. Case Reports, Clinical Trials, Mini Reviews and Reviews, which present comprehensive research in relation to melatonin, are encouraged.
In this Research Topic we hope to assemble a series of articles covering topics which could include, but are not limited to:

• Clinical application and the implications of melatonin as a promising therapeutic agent;
• Molecular mechanisms underlying the actions displayed by melatonin in the onset and evolution of can-cer;
• Use of the melatonin for a possible therapeutic approach against infectious diseases (clinical intervention for the management of the current COVID-19 outbreak);
• Melatonin as adjuvant for the development of novel therapeutic strategies;
• Melatonin as a therapeutic strategy to reduce the multiplicity of effects in neurodegenerative pathologies of brain ischemia;
• Regulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics by melatonin in health and disease.