Abstract
It is known that environmental stimulations may regulate immune reactions. The pineal gland seems to be one of the most important organs involved in mediating the environmental influence on the immune system through the release of melatonin (MLT) and other less characterized hormonal factors. It has been particularly demonstrated that a physiological light/dark rhythm modulating the release of MLT is essential in order to maintain an optimal immune performance (1). In addition to its immunomodulating properties, MLT plays an important antitumoral role (2). The antineoplastic effect of MLT seems to depend either on its immunostimulating activity (3), or on a direct cytostatic action on cancer cell growth (4).
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Lissoni, P. et al. (1991). Pineal-Interleukin-2 Interactions and their Possible Importance in the Pathogenesis of Immune Dysfunctions in Cancer. In: Fraschini, F., Reiter, R.J. (eds) Role of Melatonin and Pineal Peptides in Neuroimmunomodulation. NATO ASI Series, vol 204. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3756-4_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3756-4_31
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