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By Monica, Tue Jan 10th

Melatonin Melatonin, or 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine, is ahormone produced by pinealocytes in the pineal gland, located inthe brain, but also in the retina and GI tract. It is aderivative of the amino acid tryptophan. Melatonin produced inthe pineal gland acts as an endocrine hormone since it isreleased into the blood. On the other hand, melatonin producedby the retina and the GI tract is considered a paracrinehormone. Melatonin helps regulate sleep-wake or circadianrhythms. Normally, production of melatonin by the pineal glandis stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light. Melatonin cansuppress libido by inhibiting secretion of luteinizing hormone(LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the anteriorpituitary gland -- especially in mammals that have a breedingseason when daylight hours are long, such as sheep. Nobel Prizelaureate Julius Axelrod performed many of the seminalexperiments elucidating the role of melatonin and the pinealgland in circadian rhythms. Beta blockers decrease nocturnalmelatonin release. Melatonin is synthesized by various plantssuch as rice and ingested melatonin was shown to be capable ofreaching and binding to melatonin binding sites

in the brain ofmammals. In recent times, melatonin has become available as adrug and a dietary supplement. It appears to have some useagainst insomnia and jet lag. Melatonin is a powerfulantioxidant which can easily cross cell membranes. It has beenstudied for the treatment of cancer, immune disorders,cardiovascular diseases, depression, seasonal affectivedisorder, and sexual dysfunction; no apparent benefit in thesehas been found. To synthesize melatonin, serotonin is convertedto N-acetylserotonin by the enzyme 5-HT N-acetyltransferase.N-acetylserotonin is then converted to melatonin by the enzyme5-hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase. See serotonin for detailson how tryptophan is converted to serotonin. Melatonin has beenshown to increase the lifespan of mice by 20% in some studies

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