Role of melatonin in Alzheimer's disease: From preclinical studies to novel melatonin-based therapies

Jaydeep Roy, Kan Yin Wong, Luca Aquili, Md Sahab Uddin, Boon Chin Heng, George Lim Tipoe, Kah Hui Wong, Man Lung Fung, Lee Wei Lim*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Melatonin and novel melatonin-based therapies such as melatonin-containing hybrid molecules, melatonin analogues, and melatonin derivatives have been investigated as potential therapeutics against Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. In this review, we examine the developmental trends of melatonin therapies for AD from 1997 to 2021. We then highlight the neuroprotective mechanisms of melatonin therapy derived from preclinical studies. These mechanisms include the alleviation of amyloid-related burden, neurofibrillary tangle accumulation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired neuroplasticity and neurotransmission. We further illustrate the beneficial effects of melatonin on behavior in animal models of AD. Next, we discuss the clinical effects of melatonin on sleep, cognition, behavior, psychiatric symptoms, electroencephalography findings, and molecular biomarkers in patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD. We then explore the effectiveness of novel melatonin-based therapies. Lastly, we discuss the limitations of current melatonin therapies for AD and suggest two emerging research themes for future study.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100986
JournalFrontiers in Neuroendocrinology
Volume65
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Melatonin
  • Mild cognitive impairment
  • Neuroprotection
  • Novel melatonin-based therapies

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