Physical Inactivity of Murine Retrovirus Infected C57BL/6 Mice is Prevented by Melatonin and Dehydroepiandrosterone

Araghi‒Niknam, Mohsen; Lane, Lisa; Watson, Ronald R.

doi:10.3181/00379727-219-44327

“…In a follow-up study (to be reported elsewhere) we recently determined that similar melatonin treatment again increased (P Ͻ 0.05) spontaneous locomotor activity in middle-aged male rats by 18%. Although a specific mechanism for this effect of melatonin is not clear, melatonin treatment has been found to reverse the decreased physical activity of old mice (24), of rats with suppressed endogenous melatonin secretion due to continuous light exposure (25), and of mice infected with murine retrovirus (26). Recent work (20) has shown that small changes in physical activity (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily Melatonin Administration to Middle-Aged Male Rats Suppresses Body Weight, Intraabdominal Adiposity, and Plasma Leptin and Insulin Independent of Food Intake and Total Body Fat

Wolden-Hanson

¹

2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pineal melatonin secretion declines with aging, whereas visceral fat, plasma insulin, and plasma leptin tend to increase. We have previously demonstrated that daily melatonin administration at middle age suppressed male rat intraabdominal visceral fat, plasma leptin, and plasma insulin to youthful levels; the current study was designed to begin investigating mechanisms that mediate these responses. Melatonin (0.4 microg/ml) or vehicle was administered in the drinking water of 10-month-old male Sprague Dawley rats (18/treatment) for 12 weeks. Half (9/treatment) were then killed, and the other half were submitted to cross-over treatment for an additional 12 weeks. Twelve weeks of melatonin treatment decreased (P<0.05) body weight (BW; by 7% relative to controls), relative intraabdominal adiposity (by 16%), plasma leptin (by 33%), and plasma insulin (by 25%) while increasing (P<0.05) locomotor activity (by 19%), core body temperature (by 0.5 C), and morning plasma corticosterone (by 154%), restoring each of these parameters toward more youthful levels. Food intake and total body fat were not changed by melatonin treatment. Melatonin-treated rats that were then crossed over to control treatment for a further 12 weeks gained BW, whereas control rats that were crossed to melatonin treatment lost BW, but food intake did not change in either group. Feed efficiency (grams of BW change per g cumulative food intake), a measure of metabolic function, was negative in melatonin-treated rats and positive in control rats before cross-over (P<0.001); this relationship was reversed after cross-over (P<0.001). Thus, melatonin treatment in middle age decreased BW, intraabdominal adiposity, plasma insulin, and plasma leptin, without altering food intake or total adiposity. These results suggest that the decrease in endogenous melatonin with aging may alter metabolism and physical activity, resulting in increased BW, visceral adiposity, and associated detrimental metabolic consequences.

show abstract

“…In a follow-up study (to be reported elsewhere) we recently determined that similar melatonin treatment again increased (P Ͻ 0.05) spontaneous locomotor activity in middle-aged male rats by 18%. Although a specific mechanism for this effect of melatonin is not clear, melatonin treatment has been found to reverse the decreased physical activity of old mice (24), of rats with suppressed endogenous melatonin secretion due to continuous light exposure (25), and of mice infected with murine retrovirus (26). Recent work (20) has shown that small changes in physical activity (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily Melatonin Administration to Middle-Aged Male Rats Suppresses Body Weight, Intraabdominal Adiposity, and Plasma Leptin and Insulin Independent of Food Intake and Total Body Fat1

Wolden‐Hanson

¹

,

Mitton

²

,

McCants

³

et al. 2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pineal melatonin secretion declines with aging, whereas visceral fat, plasma insulin, and plasma leptin tend to increase. We have previously demonstrated that daily melatonin administration at middle age suppressed male rat intraabdominal visceral fat, plasma leptin, and plasma insulin to youthful levels; the current study was designed to begin investigating mechanisms that mediate these responses. Melatonin (0.4 g/ml) or vehicle was administered in the drinking water of 10-month-old male Sprague Dawley rats (18/treatment) for 12 weeks. Half (9/treatment) were then killed, and the other half were submitted to cross-over treatment for an additional 12 weeks. Twelve weeks of melatonin treatment decreased (P Ͻ 0.05) body weight (BW; by 7% relative to controls), relative intraabdominal adiposity (by 16%), plasma leptin (by 33%), and plasma insulin (by 25%) while increasing (P Ͻ 0.05) locomotor activity (by 19%), core body temperature (by 0.5 C), and morning plasma corticosterone (by 154%), restoring each of these parameters toward more youthful levels. Food intake and total body fat were not changed by melatonin treatment. Melatonin-treated rats that were then crossed over to control treatment for a further 12 weeks gained BW, whereas control rats that were crossed to melatonin treatment lost BW, but food intake did not change in either group. Feed efficiency (grams of BW change per g cumulative food intake), a measure of metabolic function, was negative in melatonin-treated rats and positive in control rats before cross-over (P Ͻ 0.001); this relationship was reversed after cross-over (P Ͻ 0.001). Thus, melatonin treatment in middle age decreased BW, intraabdominal adiposity, plasma insulin, and plasma leptin, without altering food intake or total adiposity. These results suggest that the decrease in endogenous melatonin with aging may alter metabolism and physical activity, resulting in increased BW, visceral adiposity, and associated detrimental metabolic consequences. (Endocrinology 141: [487][488][489][490][491][492][493][494][495][496][497] 2000) T HE PINEAL GLAND secretes melatonin into the circulation almost entirely at night in vertebrates (1, 2). This nocturnal secretion mediates entrainment of endogenous circadian rhythms and influences other physiological functions. Pineal melatonin biosynthesis and secretion decline with aging; levels are significantly decreased by middle age (2, 3) and tend to decline throughout old age.Adiposity, especially visceral adiposity, increases with advancing age in humans (4), nonhuman primates (5, 6), and rats (7), as do plasma insulin and leptin levels. These changes in adiposity, insulin, and leptin levels are often associated with detrimental metabolic consequences, such as glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension (4,5,8). We have previously demonstrated that daily nocturnal melatonin administration to middle-aged male rats suppressed intraabdominal (commonly referred to as deep abdominal or visceral) fat, plasma leptin...

show abstract

“…Melatonin administration not only reduced the mortality rate from these viruses, but also significantly postponed onset of disease ( 10 ), providing further evidence of melatonin use as treatment in a number of viral diseases. There is some research concerning the effects of melatonin on retroviruses such as HIV and murine model retroviruses such as LP-BM5 and Ts1, though these do not seem to have many pertinent similarities to COVID-19 ( 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melatonin for the Early Treatment of COVID-19: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Possible Efficacy

Cross

¹

,

Landis

²

,

Sehgal

³

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To date, there are no FDA approved medications for treatment of early COVID-19 infection. Recently, use of melatonin, a naturally occurring tryptophan-derivative synthesized in the pineal gland and immune cells, has been suggested as an early treatment option for COVID-19. Melatonin has known anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and protective antioxidant mechanisms that may attenuate the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. The objective of the present narrative review is to discuss the use of melatonin as an early treatment option on the first day of diagnosis for COVID-19. Methods The MeSH terms “COVID-19” and “viral diseases” were manually searched on PubMed and relevant articles were included. Results Results showed that melatonin acts to reduce reactive-oxygen-species mediated damage, cytokine-induced inflammation, and lymphopenia in viral diseases similar to COVID-19. Conclusions These conclusions provide evidence for potential benefits in melatonin use for COVID-19 treatment as early as the day of diagnosis.

show abstract

Physical Inactivity of Murine Retrovirus Infected C57BL/6 Mice is Prevented by Melatonin and Dehydroepiandrosterone

Cited by 7 publications

References 28 publications

Daily Melatonin Administration to Middle-Aged Male Rats Suppresses Body Weight, Intraabdominal Adiposity, and Plasma Leptin and Insulin Independent of Food Intake and Total Body Fat

Daily Melatonin Administration to Middle-Aged Male Rats Suppresses Body Weight, Intraabdominal Adiposity, and Plasma Leptin and Insulin Independent of Food Intake and Total Body Fat

Daily Melatonin Administration to Middle-Aged Male Rats Suppresses Body Weight, Intraabdominal Adiposity, and Plasma Leptin and Insulin Independent of Food Intake and Total Body Fat1

Melatonin for the Early Treatment of COVID-19: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Possible Efficacy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About