Effects of melatonin on the management of multiple sclerosis: A scoping review on animal studies

Heliya Bandehagh; Farnaz Gozalpour; Ali Mousavi; Mahdi Hemmati Ghavshough; Heliya Bandehagh; Farnaz Gozalpour; Ali Mousavi; Mahdi Hemmati Ghavshough

doi:10.3934/medsci.2024012

AIMS Medical Science

2024, Volume 11, Issue 2: 137-156. doi: 10.3934/medsci.2024012

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Review

Effects of melatonin on the management of multiple sclerosis: A scoping review on animal studies

1.
Pharmacy student, Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2.
Medical student, Medical Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3.
Medical Doctor (M.D), Medical Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

Received: 08 March 2024 Revised: 03 June 2024 Accepted: 05 June 2024 Published: 13 June 2024

Background
Multiple sclerosis (MS), is a debilitating neurological disease that currently has various treatments, like disease-modifying therapies, monoclonal antibodies, corticosteroids, and hormonal derivatives. Melatonin has several actions, like regulating circadian rhythms, which are usually used for insomnia. This scoping review aimed to explore the efficacy of melatonin, both as a standalone treatment and in conjunction with other drugs, in the management of MS in animal models.

Methods
We searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar using (“melatonin” OR “melatonin receptor”) AND (“multiple sclerosis”) AND (“animal”). Animal studies that evaluated the effects of melatonin on the development, progression, and outcomes of MS were included. Human studies and other types of studies like case reports were excluded. We used narrative synthesis for reporting the results.

Results
Overall, 21 studies were included, conducted on mice (n = 15) and rats (n = 6). Mostly, studies reported that melatonin led to normal circadian rhythms in animals. Melatonin in doses of both 50 and 100 mg/kg were useful in nociception latency. Melatonin in combination with other drugs like H-89, diisopropylamine dichloroacetate, gibberellins, and IFN-1β improved outcomes, while there was not improved cognition in combination with mesenchymal stem cells. In some tests, male subjects showed significantly better responses. There were controversial results regarding the effects of melatonin on cytokines, but overall, it led to a reduction in proinflammatory cytokines.

Conclusions
Melatonin overall demonstrated favorable outcomes regarding oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, and cytokine levels across various doses. It is recommended conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses with a larger number of primary studies to provide more comprehensive insights.
- multiple sclerosis,
- melatonin,
- animal,
- hormone therapy,
- treatment,
- scoping review
Citation: Heliya Bandehagh, Farnaz Gozalpour, Ali Mousavi, Mahdi Hemmati Ghavshough. Effects of melatonin on the management of multiple sclerosis: A scoping review on animal studies[J]. AIMS Medical Science, 2024, 11(2): 137-156. doi: 10.3934/medsci.2024012

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Abstract

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS), is a debilitating neurological disease that currently has various treatments, like disease-modifying therapies, monoclonal antibodies, corticosteroids, and hormonal derivatives. Melatonin has several actions, like regulating circadian rhythms, which are usually used for insomnia. This scoping review aimed to explore the efficacy of melatonin, both as a standalone treatment and in conjunction with other drugs, in the management of MS in animal models.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar using (“melatonin” OR “melatonin receptor”) AND (“multiple sclerosis”) AND (“animal”). Animal studies that evaluated the effects of melatonin on the development, progression, and outcomes of MS were included. Human studies and other types of studies like case reports were excluded. We used narrative synthesis for reporting the results.

Results

Overall, 21 studies were included, conducted on mice (n = 15) and rats (n = 6). Mostly, studies reported that melatonin led to normal circadian rhythms in animals. Melatonin in doses of both 50 and 100 mg/kg were useful in nociception latency. Melatonin in combination with other drugs like H-89, diisopropylamine dichloroacetate, gibberellins, and IFN-1β improved outcomes, while there was not improved cognition in combination with mesenchymal stem cells. In some tests, male subjects showed significantly better responses. There were controversial results regarding the effects of melatonin on cytokines, but overall, it led to a reduction in proinflammatory cytokines.

Conclusions

Melatonin overall demonstrated favorable outcomes regarding oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, and cytokine levels across various doses. It is recommended conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses with a larger number of primary studies to provide more comprehensive insights.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

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