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Melatonin regulates Aβ production/clearance balance and Aβ neurotoxicity: A potential therapeutic molecule for Alzheimer's disease.

Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
December 1, 2020
Yuanming Li et al. (5 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to explore melatonin's potential as a therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease by examining its effects on Aβ production, clearance, neurotoxicity, and circadian disruption.

Results Summary

Melatonin demonstrated neuroprotective effects by inhibiting Aβ production, promoting Aβ clearance, and ameliorating Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. Clinical trials indicated improvements in sleep quality and cognitive function in AD patients.

Population

Alzheimer's disease patients

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (10)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin
decrease
Alzheimer's disease progression
-
-
shows a potent neuroprotective effect
#1
melatonin
decrease
progression of AD
-
-
can prevent or slow down
#2
melatonin
neutral
regulatory network of secretase expression
-
-
modulates
#3
melatonin
neutral
function of secretase
-
-
affects
#4
melatonin
decrease
amyloidogenic APP processing
-
-
inhibiting
#5
melatonin
decrease
Aβ production
-
-
inhibiting
#6
melatonin
decrease
Aβ-induced neurotoxicity
-
-
ameliorates
#7
melatonin
increase
Aβ clearance
-
-
probably promotes
#8
melatonin treatment
increase
sleep quality
AD patients
-
has a promising effect on improving
#9
melatonin treatment
increase
cognitive function
AD patients
-
has a promising effect on improving
#10
Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease with multiple predisposing factors and complicated pathogenesis. Aβ peptide is one of the most important pathogenic factors in the etiology of AD. Accumulating evidence indicates that the imbalance of Aβ production and Aβ clearance in the brain of AD patients leads to Aβ deposition and neurotoxic Aβ oligomer formation. Melatonin shows a potent neuroprotective effect and can prevent or slow down the progression of AD, supporting the view that melatonin is a potential therapeutic molecule for AD. Melatonin modulates the regulatory network of secretase expression and affects the function of secretase, thereby inhibiting amyloidogenic APP processing and Aβ production. Additionally, melatonin ameliorates Aβ-induced neurotoxicity and probably promotes Aβ clearance through glymphatic-lymphatic drainage, BBB transportation and degradation pathways. In this review, we summarize and discuss the role of melatonin against Aβ-dependent AD pathogenesis. We explore the potential cellular and molecular mechanisms of melatonin on Aβ production and assembly, Aβ clearance, Aβ neurotoxicity and circadian cycle disruption. We summarize multiple clinical trials of melatonin treatment in AD patients, showing that melatonin has a promising effect on improving sleep quality and cognitive function. This review aims to stimulate further research on melatonin as a potential therapeutic agent for AD.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Alzheimer DiseaseAmyloid beta-PeptidesAnimalsBrainGlymphatic SystemHumansMelatonin
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations135
Citations/Year27.0
Relative Citation Ratio9.00
NIH Percentile97.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.34
Normalized Score0.69
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