ReviewBiomolecules2023
Melatonin: Facts, Extrapolations and Clinical Trials.
Review in Biomolecules, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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
52 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease: evaluating pharmacological treatments through systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring the role of melatonin in managing sleep and motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: a pooled analysis of double-blinded randomized controlled trials.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Preoperative 15 mg of melatonin for surgical discomfort, pain, edema and trismus in mandibular third molar surgery: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.Clinical oral investigations · 2025Trial
- Melatonin administered postoperatively lowers oxidative stress and inflammation and significantly recovers heart function in patients undergoing CABG surgery.European journal of medical research · 2025Trial
- Exogenous melatonin boosts vaccine-induced immunity in individuals with high pre-existing influenza immunity.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Trial
- Standardized Extract of Valeriana officinalis Improves Overall Sleep Quality in Human Subjects with Sleep Complaints: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Study.Advances in therapy · 2024Trial
- Molecular Characterization of Melatonin Receptors inAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Melatonin treatment alters cardiopulmonary structure, function, and acute hypoxic response in the newborn lamb.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Melatonin in Clinical Practice: Grey Zones Between Chronobiology, Insomnia and Consumer Supplementation.Clocks & sleep · 2026Article
- Repurposing melatonin for its potential roles in gastrointestinal cancers: highlighting the molecular mechanisms.Cancer cell international · 2026Review
- Melatonin Targets Mitochondrial Redox Homeostasis: Optimizing the Intracellular Microenvironment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Melatonin regulates Sirt1/Nrf2/GPX4 pathway to inhibit ferroptosis and alleviate myocardial injury caused by sepsis.World journal of cardiology · 2026Article
- Melatonin-Mediated Modulation of Metabolic Pathways Enhances Cold Tolerance in Alfalfa (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Melatonin Biosynthesis, Receptors, and the Microbiota-Tryptophan-Melatonin Axis: A Shared Dysbiosis Signature Across Cardiac Arrhythmias, Epilepsy, Malignant Proliferation, and Cognitive Trajectories.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Responsiveness of ThymoDreamFrontiers in sleep · 2026Article
- High-Resolution Spatiotemporal Mapping of Cerebral Metabolism During Middle-Cerebral-Artery Occlusion/Reperfusion Progression: Preliminary Insights.Biomolecules · 2025Article
- Melatonin use in the pediatric population: an evolving global concern.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2025Review
- Pleiotropic regulatory mechanisms and targeted therapeutic prospects of Galectin-3 in aging-related diseases.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Review
- The Efficacy of Melatonergic Receptor Agonists Used in Clinical Practice in Insomnia Treatment: Melatonin, Tasimelteon, Ramelteon, Agomelatine, and Selected Herbs.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Melatonin is a fascinating molecule that has captured the imagination of many scientists since its discovery in 1958. In recent times, the focus has changed from investigating its natural role as a transducer of biological time for physiological systems to hypothesized roles in virtually all clinical conditions. This goes along with the appearance of extensive literature claiming the (generally) positive benefits of high doses of melatonin in animal models and various clinical situations that would not be receptor-mediated. Based on the assumption that melatonin is safe, high doses have been administered to patients, including the elderly and children, in clinical trials. In this review, we critically review the corresponding literature, including the hypotheses that melatonin acts as a scavenger molecule, in particular in mitochondria, by trying not only to contextualize these interests but also by attempting to separate the wheat from the chaff (or the wishful thinking from the facts). We conclude that most claims remain hypotheses and that the experimental evidence used to promote them is limited and sometimes flawed. Our review will hopefully encourage clinical researchers to reflect on what melatonin can and cannot do and help move the field forward on a solid basis.
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.