ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2021
Melatonin as a Potential Adjuvant Treatment for COVID-19 beyond Sleep Disorders.
Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
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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
16 citing papers in PubMed, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Circadian rhythm disruption and melatonin dysregulation as overlooked drivers of immune imbalance and multiorgan failure in post-COVID syndrome: a call for chronotherapy-based interventions.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Article
- The interactions between melatonin and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in vascular attenuation in diabetic and non-diabetic conditions.Acta diabetologica · 2025Review
- Precision nutrition to reset virus-induced human metabolic reprogramming and dysregulation (HMRD) in long-COVID.NPJ science of food · 2024Review
- A mid‑pandemic night's dream: Melatonin, from harbinger of anti‑inflammation to mitochondrial savior in acute and long COVID‑19 (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2024Review
- COVID-19-Related Brief Insomnia in a 13-Year-Old Adolescent Girl.Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2024Article
- Indole-Based Compounds as Potential Drug Candidates for SARS-CoV-2.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Article
- Therapeutic trials for long COVID-19: A call to action from the interventions taskforce of the RECOVER initiative.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Can melatonin reduce the severity of post-COVID-19 syndrome?EXCLI journal · 2023Review
- Chronobiological Efficacy of Combined Therapy of Pelargonium Sidoides and Melatonin in Acute and Persistent Cases of COVID-19: A Hypothetical Approach.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2023Review
- The potential role of ischaemia-reperfusion injury in chronic, relapsing diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Long COVID, and ME/CFS: evidence, mechanisms, and therapeutic implications.The Biochemical journal · 2022Review
- Melatonin and the Brain-Heart Crosstalk in Neurocritically Ill Patients-From Molecular Action to Clinical Practice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Melatonin and Related Compounds: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Actions.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Melatonin: highlighting its use as a potential treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2022Review
- Therapeutic Efficacy of Melatonin in Patients with Coronavirus 2019: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials : Melatonin in COVID-19 Patients.Galen medical journal · 2022Review
- Targeting Ferroptosis for Lung Diseases: Exploring Novel Strategies in Ferroptosis-Associated Mechanisms.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Melatonin is registered to treat circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders and insomnia in patients aged 55 years and over. The essential role of the circadian sleep rhythm in the deterioration of sleep quality during COVID-19 confinement and the lack of an adverse effect of melatonin on respiratory drive indicate that melatonin has the potential to be a recommended treatment for sleep disturbances related to COVID-19. This review article describes the effects of melatonin additional to its sleep-related effects, which make this drug an attractive therapeutic option for treating patients with COVID-19. The preclinical data suggest that melatonin may inhibit COVID-19 progression. It may lower the risk of the entrance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into cells, reduce uncontrolled hyper-inflammation and the activation of immune cells, limit the damage of tissues and multiorgan failure due to the action of free radicals, and reduce ventilator-induced lung injury and the risk of disability resulting from fibrotic changes within the lungs. Melatonin may also increase the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination. The high safety profile of melatonin and its potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects make this molecule a preferable drug for treating sleep disturbances in COVID-19 patients. However, randomized clinical trials are needed to verify the clinical usefulness of melatonin in the treatment of COVID-19.
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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.