Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental diseases. Anxiety and the associated physical symptoms may disturb social and occupational life and increase the risk of somatic diseases. The pathophysiology of anxiety development is complex and involves alterations in stress hormone production, neurosi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/24/16187 |
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| author | Kristina Repova Tomas Baka Kristina Krajcirovicova Peter Stanko Silvia Aziriova Russel J. Reiter Fedor Simko |
| author_facet | Kristina Repova Tomas Baka Kristina Krajcirovicova Peter Stanko Silvia Aziriova Russel J. Reiter Fedor Simko |
| author_sort | Kristina Repova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anxiety disorders are the most common mental diseases. Anxiety and the associated physical symptoms may disturb social and occupational life and increase the risk of somatic diseases. The pathophysiology of anxiety development is complex and involves alterations in stress hormone production, neurosignaling pathways or free radical production. The various manifestations of anxiety, its complex pathophysiological background and the side effects of available treatments underlie the quest for constantly seeking therapies for these conditions. Melatonin, an indolamine produced in the pineal gland and released into the blood on a nightly basis, has been demonstrated to exert anxiolytic action in animal experiments and different clinical conditions. This hormone influences a number of physiological actions either via specific melatonin receptors or by receptor-independent pleiotropic effects. The underlying pathomechanism of melatonin’s benefit in anxiety may reside in its sympatholytic action, interaction with the renin–angiotensin and glucocorticoid systems, modulation of interneuronal signaling and its extraordinary antioxidant and radical scavenging nature. Of importance, the concentration of this indolamine is significantly higher in cerebrospinal fluid than in the blood. Thus, ensuring sufficient melatonin production by reducing light pollution, which suppresses melatonin levels, may represent an endogenous neuroprotective and anxiolytic treatment. Since melatonin is freely available, economically undemanding and has limited side effects, it may be considered an additional or alternative treatment for various conditions associated with anxiety. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:18:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12efe71b607c48149dec6a6465cc0d09 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:18:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-12efe71b607c48149dec6a6465cc0d092023-11-24T15:34:34ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672022-12-0123241618710.3390/ijms232416187Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety TreatmentKristina Repova0Tomas Baka1Kristina Krajcirovicova2Peter Stanko3Silvia Aziriova4Russel J. Reiter5Fedor Simko6Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 81108 Bratislava, SlovakiaInstitute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 81108 Bratislava, SlovakiaInstitute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 81108 Bratislava, SlovakiaInstitute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 81108 Bratislava, SlovakiaInstitute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 81108 Bratislava, SlovakiaDepartment of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health San Antonio, Long School of Medicine, San Antonio, TX 78229, USAInstitute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 81108 Bratislava, SlovakiaAnxiety disorders are the most common mental diseases. Anxiety and the associated physical symptoms may disturb social and occupational life and increase the risk of somatic diseases. The pathophysiology of anxiety development is complex and involves alterations in stress hormone production, neurosignaling pathways or free radical production. The various manifestations of anxiety, its complex pathophysiological background and the side effects of available treatments underlie the quest for constantly seeking therapies for these conditions. Melatonin, an indolamine produced in the pineal gland and released into the blood on a nightly basis, has been demonstrated to exert anxiolytic action in animal experiments and different clinical conditions. This hormone influences a number of physiological actions either via specific melatonin receptors or by receptor-independent pleiotropic effects. The underlying pathomechanism of melatonin’s benefit in anxiety may reside in its sympatholytic action, interaction with the renin–angiotensin and glucocorticoid systems, modulation of interneuronal signaling and its extraordinary antioxidant and radical scavenging nature. Of importance, the concentration of this indolamine is significantly higher in cerebrospinal fluid than in the blood. Thus, ensuring sufficient melatonin production by reducing light pollution, which suppresses melatonin levels, may represent an endogenous neuroprotective and anxiolytic treatment. Since melatonin is freely available, economically undemanding and has limited side effects, it may be considered an additional or alternative treatment for various conditions associated with anxiety.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/24/16187anxietydepressionmelatoninsympathetic nervous systemneurohumoral activationoxidative stress |
| spellingShingle | Kristina Repova Tomas Baka Kristina Krajcirovicova Peter Stanko Silvia Aziriova Russel J. Reiter Fedor Simko Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment International Journal of Molecular Sciences anxiety depression melatonin sympathetic nervous system neurohumoral activation oxidative stress |
| title | Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment |
| title_full | Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment |
| title_fullStr | Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment |
| title_short | Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment |
| title_sort | melatonin as a potential approach to anxiety treatment |
| topic | anxiety depression melatonin sympathetic nervous system neurohumoral activation oxidative stress |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/24/16187 |
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