Melatonin from Microorganisms, Algae, and Plants as Possible Alternatives to Synthetic Melatonin
Melatonin dietary supplements are widely consumed worldwide, with developed countries as the largest consumers, with an estimated annual growth rate of approximately 10% until 2027, mainly in developing countries. The wide use of melatonin against sleep disorders and particular problems, such as jet...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Metabolites |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/1/72 |
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| author | Marino B. Arnao Manuela Giraldo-Acosta Ana Castejón-Castillejo Marta Losada-Lorán Pablo Sánchez-Herrerías Amina El Mihyaoui Antonio Cano Josefa Hernández-Ruiz |
| author_facet | Marino B. Arnao Manuela Giraldo-Acosta Ana Castejón-Castillejo Marta Losada-Lorán Pablo Sánchez-Herrerías Amina El Mihyaoui Antonio Cano Josefa Hernández-Ruiz |
| author_sort | Marino B. Arnao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Melatonin dietary supplements are widely consumed worldwide, with developed countries as the largest consumers, with an estimated annual growth rate of approximately 10% until 2027, mainly in developing countries. The wide use of melatonin against sleep disorders and particular problems, such as jet lag, has been added to other applications, such as anti-aging, anti-stress, immune system activation, anticancer, and others, which have triggered its use, normally without a prescription. The chemical industry currently covers 100% of the needs of the melatonin market. Motivated by sectors with more natural consumption habits, a few years ago, the possibility of obtaining melatonin from plants, called phytomelatonin, arose. More recently, the pharmaceutical industry has developed genetically modified microorganisms whose ability to produce biological melatonin in bioreactors has been enhanced. This paper reviews the aspects of the chemical and biological synthesis of melatonin for human consumption, mainly as dietary supplements. The pros and cons of obtaining melatonin from microorganisms and phytomelatonin from plants and algae are analyzed, as well as the advantages of natural melatonin, avoiding unwanted chemical by-products from the chemical synthesis of melatonin. Finally, the economic and quality aspects of these new products, some of which are already marketed, are analyzed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:43:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12ec89c6f11d4a7c8216f055d261d074 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-1989 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:43:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Metabolites |
| spelling | doaj.art-12ec89c6f11d4a7c8216f055d261d0742023-11-30T23:28:37ZengMDPI AGMetabolites2218-19892023-01-011317210.3390/metabo13010072Melatonin from Microorganisms, Algae, and Plants as Possible Alternatives to Synthetic MelatoninMarino B. Arnao0Manuela Giraldo-Acosta1Ana Castejón-Castillejo2Marta Losada-Lorán3Pablo Sánchez-Herrerías4Amina El Mihyaoui5Antonio Cano6Josefa Hernández-Ruiz7Phytohormones & Plant Development Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainPhytohormones & Plant Development Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainPhytohormones & Plant Development Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainPhytohormones & Plant Development Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainPhytohormones & Plant Development Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainPhytohormones & Plant Development Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainPhytohormones & Plant Development Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainPhytohormones & Plant Development Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainMelatonin dietary supplements are widely consumed worldwide, with developed countries as the largest consumers, with an estimated annual growth rate of approximately 10% until 2027, mainly in developing countries. The wide use of melatonin against sleep disorders and particular problems, such as jet lag, has been added to other applications, such as anti-aging, anti-stress, immune system activation, anticancer, and others, which have triggered its use, normally without a prescription. The chemical industry currently covers 100% of the needs of the melatonin market. Motivated by sectors with more natural consumption habits, a few years ago, the possibility of obtaining melatonin from plants, called phytomelatonin, arose. More recently, the pharmaceutical industry has developed genetically modified microorganisms whose ability to produce biological melatonin in bioreactors has been enhanced. This paper reviews the aspects of the chemical and biological synthesis of melatonin for human consumption, mainly as dietary supplements. The pros and cons of obtaining melatonin from microorganisms and phytomelatonin from plants and algae are analyzed, as well as the advantages of natural melatonin, avoiding unwanted chemical by-products from the chemical synthesis of melatonin. Finally, the economic and quality aspects of these new products, some of which are already marketed, are analyzed.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/1/72dietary supplementsGMOsmelatoninmicroorganismsphytomelatoninplant raw material |
| spellingShingle | Marino B. Arnao Manuela Giraldo-Acosta Ana Castejón-Castillejo Marta Losada-Lorán Pablo Sánchez-Herrerías Amina El Mihyaoui Antonio Cano Josefa Hernández-Ruiz Melatonin from Microorganisms, Algae, and Plants as Possible Alternatives to Synthetic Melatonin Metabolites dietary supplements GMOs melatonin microorganisms phytomelatonin plant raw material |
| title | Melatonin from Microorganisms, Algae, and Plants as Possible Alternatives to Synthetic Melatonin |
| title_full | Melatonin from Microorganisms, Algae, and Plants as Possible Alternatives to Synthetic Melatonin |
| title_fullStr | Melatonin from Microorganisms, Algae, and Plants as Possible Alternatives to Synthetic Melatonin |
| title_full_unstemmed | Melatonin from Microorganisms, Algae, and Plants as Possible Alternatives to Synthetic Melatonin |
| title_short | Melatonin from Microorganisms, Algae, and Plants as Possible Alternatives to Synthetic Melatonin |
| title_sort | melatonin from microorganisms algae and plants as possible alternatives to synthetic melatonin |
| topic | dietary supplements GMOs melatonin microorganisms phytomelatonin plant raw material |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/1/72 |
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