ArticleBurns & trauma2023
Melatonin influences the biological characteristics of keloid fibroblasts through the Erk and Smad signalling pathways.
Article in Burns & trauma, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 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.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the Complexities of TGF-β Signaling in Keloids: Beyond the Classical Smad Pathway.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Hypertrophic Scarring and Keloids: Epidemiology, Molecular Pathogenesis, and Therapeutic Interventions.MedComm · 2025Review
- Melatonin-mediated Inhibition of XPO5 phosphorylation facilitates the chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by regulating the transport of miR-590-5p.Molecular biology reports · 2025Article
- The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in scar remodeling and keloid formation: mechanisms and therapeutic perspectives.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Melatonin's Impact on Wound Healing.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- The potential therapeutic role of melatonin in organ fibrosis: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Keloids are abnormal fibrous hyperplasias that are difficult to treat. Melatonin can be used to inhibit the development of certain fibrotic diseases but has never been used to treat keloids. We aimed to discover the effects and mechanisms of melatonin in keloid fibroblasts (KFs). Methods: Flow cytometry, CCK-8 assays, western blotting, wound-healing assays, transwell assays, collagen gel contraction assays and immunofluorescence assays were applied to demonstrate the effects and mechanisms of melatonin in fibroblasts derived from normal skin, hypertrophic scars and keloids. The therapeutic potential of the combination of melatonin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was investigated in KFs. Results: Melatonin significantly promoted cell apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, contractile capability and collagen production in KFs. Further mechanistic studies demonstrated that melatonin could inhibit the cAMP/PKA/Erk and Smad pathways through the membrane receptor MT2 to alter the biological characteristics of KFs. Moreover, the combination of melatonin and 5-FU remarkably promoted cell apoptosis and inhibited cell migration and invasion, contractile capability and collagen production in KFs. Furthermore, 5-FU suppressed the phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR, Smad3 and Erk, and melatonin in combination with 5-FU markedly suppressed the activation of the Akt, Erk and Smad pathways. Conclusions: Collectively, melatonin may inhibit the Erk and Smad pathways through the membrane receptor MT2 to alter the cell functions of KFs, while combination with 5-FU could exert even more inhibitory effects in KFs through simultaneous suppression of multiple signalling pathways.
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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.