Understanding the Mechanism of Action of Melatonin, Which Induces ROS Production in Cancer Cells

Javier Florido, César Rodriguez-Santana, Laura Martinez-Ruiz, Alba López-Rodríguez, Darío Acuña-Castroviejo, Iryna Rusanova, Germaine Escames*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) constitute a group of highly reactive molecules that have evolved as regulators of important signaling pathways. In this context, tumor cells have an altered redox balance compared to normal cells, which can be targeted as an antitumoral therapy by ROS levels and by decreasing the capacity of the antioxidant system, leading to programmed cell death. Melatonin is of particular importance in the development of innovative cancer treatments due to its oncostatic impact and lack of adverse effects. Despite being widely recognized as a pro-oxidant molecule in tumor cells, the mechanism of action of melatonin remains unclear, which has hindered its use in clinical treatments. The current review aims to describe and clarify the proposed mechanism of action of melatonin inducing ROS production in cancer cells in order to propose future anti-neoplastic clinical applications.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1621
JournalAntioxidants
Volume11
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • apoptosis
  • cancer
  • melatonin
  • mitochondria
  • reactive oxygen species

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