Abstract
The pineal hormone melatonin is an essential photoperiodically-regulated messenger which is involved in the modulation of organismal physiology at a number of levels. Whereas the stability of the circadian production of melatonin is generally well documented, there are factors which clearly modify the 24 hour synthesis of this important hormone. Changes in either the duration of elevated melatonin, the amplitude of the nocturnal increase, or the phasing of the nighttime rise relative to a melatonin sensitive period may all be important in terms of the consequences of the altered melatonin rhythm. The following brief report will describe the generation of the melatonin rhythm, present some examples of factors that change the quantity of pineal melatonin synthesized and released over a 24 hour period, and discuss these changes in terms of their potential relationship to neuroimmunomodulation and tumor growth.
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Reiter, R.J. (1991). New Aspects Concerning the Regulation of Pineal Indoleamine Metabolism: Implications for Neuroimmunology. 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_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3756-4_6
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