Thirty four years since the discovery of gastrointestinal melatonin.

Oct 1, 2008Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society

Thirty-four years since discovering melatonin in the digestive system

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Abstract

Melatonin concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract are around 400 times higher than in the pineal gland.

Melatonin is produced in the enteroendocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract mucosa.
The gastrointestinal tract may exhibit higher melatonin levels, ranging from 10 to 100 times more than plasma concentrations.
Melatonin in the gastrointestinal tract is associated with various actions, including endocrine, paracrine, autocrine, and luminal effects.
Episodic secretion of melatonin correlates with food intake and digestion, potentially protecting tissues from hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes.
Melatonin may have general effects like scavenging free radicals and specific effects such as increasing mucosal blood flow and regulating fecal water content.
Laboratory and clinical studies suggest melatonin could prevent or treat conditions like esophageal ulcers, pancreatitis, colitis, and colon cancer.

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After the discovery of melatonin in the pineal gland by Lerner and co-workers in 1958, melatonin was also detected in the retina and the human appendix. Later, melatonin was confirmed immunohistologically in all segments of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), in the guts of bovine embryos and in the GIT of low vertebrates. Melatonin was also confirmed in the pancreas and the hepatobiliary system. Melatonin is produced in the enteroendocrine cells of the GIT mucosa. The concentrations of melatonin in the GIT are 10-100x higher than in the plasma and the total amount of melatonin in the GIT is around 400x higher than the amount of melatonin in the pineal gland. Similar to pineal melatonin, GIT melatonin is a multifunctional compound which exhibits some general as well as some specific effects, depending on the organ and the location of GIT tissue. In the GIT, melatonin exhibits endocrine, paracrine, autocrine and luminal actions. Generally, the episodic secretion of melatonin from the GIT is related to the intake and digestion of food and to the prevention of tissue damage caused by hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. Some actions, such as the scavenging of hydroxyl free radicals, immunoenhancement and antioxidant effects are of general nature, whereas others, such as an increase of mucosal blood flow, the reduction of peristalsis and the regulation of fecal water content, are specific to the tubular GIT. Generally, melatonin actions oppose those of serotonin. Laboratory and clinical studies indicate that the utilization of melatonin can prevent or treat pathological conditions such as esophageal and gastric ulcers, pancreatitis, colitis, irritable bowel disease, and colon cancer.

Thirty four years since the discovery of gastrointestinal melatonin.

Abstract

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