Naughty melatonin: how mothers tick off their fetus.
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TLDR
It is shown that the clock in the fetal adrenal is indeed synchronized by melatonin pulses, and a few studies suggest that melatonin may be used by the mother to tell time to their fetus.Abstract:
Melatonin is a neurohormone synthesized and released from the pineal gland with both a daily and an annual rhythm controlled by the biological clock. The dual rhythm of melatonin is robust, reproducible, and, apart from light exposure at night, hardly altered. It is a strong and reliable clock output involved in the synchronization of circadian and seasonal functions. The physiological role of melatonin in the synchronization of seasonal function is long established, and recent studies are now deciphering the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved. However, the role of melatonin in the synchronization of daily functions is less clear and still in dispute because the doses required to observe significant effects are above physiological concentrations. Additionally, a few studies suggest that melatonin may be used by the mother to tell time to their fetus. In their paper published in this issue of Endocrinology, Torres-Farfan et al. (1) show that the clock in the fetal adrenal is indeed synchronized by melatonin pulses.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Melatonin Synthesis and Function: Evolutionary History in Animals and Plants.
TL;DR: In present day animals, via receptor-mediated means, melatonin functions in the regulation of sleep, modulation of circadian rhythms, enhancement of immunity, as a multifunctional oncostatic agent, etc., while retaining its ability to reduce oxidative stress by processes that are, in part, receptor-independent.
Journal ArticleDOI
Melatonin in type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity
Angeliki Karamitri,Angeliki Karamitri,Angeliki Karamitri,Ralf Jockers,Ralf Jockers,Ralf Jockers +5 more
TL;DR: The rs10830963 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the MTNR1B locus is associated with increased fasting plasma glucose levels and impaired insulin secretion, as well as increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and gestational Diabetes mellitus.
Journal ArticleDOI
Timed maternal melatonin treatment reverses circadian disruption of the fetal adrenal clock imposed by exposure to constant light.
Natalia Mendez,Lorena Abarzua-Catalan,Nelson Vilches,Hugo A. Galdames,Carlos Spichiger,Hans Richter,Guillermo J. Valenzuela,María Serón-Ferré,Claudia Torres-Farfan +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that the maternal plasma melatonin rhythm drives the fetal circadian system, which in turn relies this information to other fetal tissues through corticosterone rhythmic signaling.
Journal ArticleDOI
Roles of Melatonin in Fetal Programming in Compromised Pregnancies
TL;DR: The physiological function of melatonin in pregnancy is described and the roles of Melatonin in fetal programming in compromised pregnancies are discussed, focusing on its involvement in redox and epigenetic mechanisms.
Journal ArticleDOI
Developmental Programming of Adult Disease: Reprogramming by Melatonin?
TL;DR: There is an urgent need to understand reprogramming mechanisms of melatonin and to translate experimental research into clinical practice for halting a growing list of DOHaD-related NCDs.
References
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