ArticlePediatric research2026
Melatonin treatment alters cardiopulmonary structure, function, and acute hypoxic response in the newborn lamb.
Article in Pediatric research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMelatonin, an anti-inflammatory-antioxidant neurohormone, is considered for the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic-encephalopathy. However, its effects on the developing cardiopulmonary system are poorly defined. We investigated how postnatal melatonin administration alters cardiopulmonary structure, function, and responses to acute hypoxia in newborn lambs.
methodsTwenty term-newborn lambs received melatonin (0.25 mg kg
resultsAt normoxia, melatonin-treated lambs showed normal systemic function but altered cardiac hemodynamics and morphology compared to vehicle-treated lambs. During hypoxia, melatonin-treated lambs exhibited a blunted sympatho-circulatory response, with no increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure and cardiac output. Additionally, heart weight and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area were reduced, and pulmonary arteriole density increased. Gene expressions showed reduced cardiomyocyte markers in the right ventricle and left atrium but increased protective gene expression in the left ventricle.
conclusionsPostnatal melatonin triggers notable cardiopulmonary remodeling, reducing physiological flexibility to respond to hypoxic stress, highlighting the need to weigh its therapeutic benefits against potential cardiovascular risks. IMPACT: This study examined the effects of melatonin treatment on the cardiopulmonary system during the early neonatal period in lambs, when endogenous melatonin production is limited. Melatonin induces significant cardiopulmonary remodeling in newborn lambs, characterized by reduced heart weight and ventricular cardiomyocyte size, increased pulmonary arteriole density, and altered cardiac chamber gene expression. While these changes maintain normal cardiovascular function at normoxic-baseline, they compromise the system's ability to respond to acute hypoxia, revealing a diminished physiological flexibility. The study highlights the need to balance melatonin's therapeutic promise with caution regarding its potential developmental consequences on the cardiopulmonary system.
Identifiers
42365170What 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.