ArticlePediatric research2022
Melatonin as an immunomodulator in children with Down syndrome.
Article in Pediatric research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Melatonin attenuates Mycoplasma pneumoniae-Induced Inflammation and barrier dysfunction by CXCL10/TLR4/STAT1 axis.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Article
- Melatonin Promotes Cerebral Angiogenesis in Ischemic Mice via BMP6/Smad1/5/9 Pathway.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- Melatonin as the Missing Link Between Sleep Deprivation and Immune Dysregulation: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Melatonin: a positive influencer of inflammation in neonatal encephalopathy.Pediatric research · 2025Article
- Melatonin supplementation: new insights into health and disease.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2025Review
- UBC4: A Repurposed Drug Regimen for Adjunctive Use During Bladder Cancer Treatment.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Melatonin, an Antitumor Necrosis Factor Therapy.Journal of pineal research · 2025Review
- Periodontal disease in down syndrome: Predisposing factors and potential non-surgical therapeutic approaches.Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · 2024Review
- Innovating Therapies for Down Syndrome: An International Virtual Conference of the T21 Research Society.Molecular syndromology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDown syndrome (DS) is a disorder characterised by marked immune dysfunction, increased mortality from sepsis, chronic inflammation, increased oxidative stress, sleep disturbance and possibly abnormal endogenous melatonin levels. Melatonin has a myriad of immune functions, and we hypothesised that this therapeutic agent could modulate the innate immune system in this cohort.
methodsWe investigated neutrophil and monocyte function (CD11b, TLR4 expression by flow cytometry), genes involved in TLR signalling (MyD88, IRAK4, TRIF), the inflammasome (NLRP3, IL-1β), and circadian rhythm (BMAL, CLOCK, CRY) by qPCR, and inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-1ra, VEGF, Epo, GM-CSF) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) following immunomodulation with LPS endotoxin and melatonin. 47 children with DS and 23 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited.
resultsWe demonstrated that melatonin has several significant effects by reducing CD11b and TLR4 expression, attenuating TLR signalling, genes involved in the inflammasome and has the potential to reduce LPS-induced inflammatory responses.
conclusionsImmunomodulatory effects of melatonin were found in both paediatric cohorts with more marked effects in the children with DS. Melatonin mediates immune response through a wide array of mechanisms and this immunomodulator may buffer the inflammatory response by regulating pro and anti-inflammatory signalling. IMPACT: We highlight that melatonin mediates its immune response through a wide array of mechanisms, its effects appear to be dose dependant and children with Down syndrome may be more receptive to treatment with it. Immunomodulatory effects of melatonin were demonstrated with marked effects in the children with Down syndrome with a reduction of MyD88, IL-1ß and NLRP3 expression in whole-blood samples. Melatonin is a proposed anti-inflammatory agent with a well-established safety profile, that has the potential for mitigation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in paediatric Down syndrome cohorts, though further clinical trials are warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.