Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28864909›Full record

ReviewCellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS2017

Melatonin as a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant: one of evolution's best ideas.

Russel J Reiter, Sergio Rosales-Corral, Dun Xian Tan, Mei Jie Jou, Annia Galano, Bing Xu

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 269 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
269citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
22.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

269 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 517 citations in OpenAlex.

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209 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Russel J ReiterDepartment of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA. reiter@uthscsa.edu.
Sergio Rosales-CorralCentro de Investigacion Biomedica de Occidente, Del Instituto Mexicana del Seguro Social, 44340, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Dun Xian TanDepartment of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
Mei Jie JouDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyüan, Taiwan.
Annia GalanoDepartemento de Quimica, Uninversidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, 09340, Mexico City, Mexico.
Bing XuDepartment of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio · USChang Gung University · TWMexican Social Security Institute · MXThe University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston · USUniversidad Autónoma Metropolitana · MX

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Melatonin is an ancient antioxidant. After its initial development in bacteria, it has been retained throughout evolution such that it may be or may have been present in every species that have existed. Even though it has been maintained throughout evolution during the diversification of species, melatonin's chemical structure has never changed; thus, the melatonin present in currently living humans is identical to that present in cyanobacteria that have existed on Earth for billions of years. Melatonin in the systemic circulation of mammals quickly disappears from the blood presumably due to its uptake by cells, particularly when they are under high oxidative stress conditions. The measurement of the subcellular distribution of melatonin has shown that the concentration of this indole in the mitochondria greatly exceeds that in the blood. Melatonin presumably enters mitochondria through oligopeptide transporters, PEPT1, and PEPT2. Thus, melatonin is specifically targeted to the mitochondria where it seems to function as an apex antioxidant. In addition to being taken up from the circulation, melatonin may be produced in the mitochondria as well. During evolution, mitochondria likely originated when melatonin-forming bacteria were engulfed as food by ancestral prokaryotes. Over time, engulfed bacteria evolved into mitochondria; this is known as the endosymbiotic theory of the origin of mitochondria. When they did so, the mitochondria retained the ability to synthesize melatonin. Thus, melatonin is not only taken up by mitochondria but these organelles, in addition to many other functions, also probably produce melatonin as well. Melatonin's high concentrations and multiple actions as an antioxidant provide potent antioxidant protection to these organelles which are exposed to abundant free radicals.

Indexed as

AnimalsAntioxidantsFree RadicalsHumansMelatoninMitochondriaOxidation-ReductionAntioxidantsFree RadicalsMelatoninApoptosisCytochrome cFree radical-related diseasesInner mitochondrial membraneMelatonin transportersMitochondrial transition poreReactive oxygen speciesSIRT3

Identifiers

PMID28864909
PMCPMC11107735
OpenAlexW2750818786

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.