Talk:Melatonin

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Ideal sources for Wikipedia's health content are defined in the guideline Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources (medicine) and are typically review articles. Here are links to possibly useful sources of information about Melatonin.

PubMed provides review articles from the past five years (limit to free review articles)
The TRIP database provides clinical publications about evidence-based medicine.
Other potential sources include: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and CDC

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Reference 56 is invalid

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/940.html#DrugInteractions - link returns 404. <<== unsigned edit by IP 63.87.61.109

I've replaced the deadlink with a ref from Univ. of Maryland. --Hordaland (talk) 02:29, 27 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Availability in Eastern Europe

Although I cannot quote any reliable sources, Melatonin tablets are freely sold across most of Eastern Europe. There is also an sublingual composition marketed as Somni-X. It is a fast onset spray, applied under the tongue. --lasombra bg (talk) 21:45, 16 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Melatonin should be described as a neurotransmitter

That Melatonin acts as a neurotransmitter is implicit on this page in that it's part of the "neurotransmitters" series, and also that the *effects* of Melatonin receptors being engaged is described in the "Functions" section, however it is never clearly stated. See: Serotonin page functions section. --Whilom Chime (talk) 17:09, 4 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

It is actually a hormone, not a neurotransmitter that has effects on more distant cells, not just adjacent cells connected by synapses. I have edited the lead so that it now stated that it is a hormone in the lead sentence. Boghog (talk) 18:54, 4 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Apologies, I certainly didn't mean to imply that it isn't a hormone, but that like norepinephrine it is both. I'm definitely not an expert, but I'm assuming its activity with Melatonin receptors in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus means that it is also a neurotransmitter. I'm quite willing to be educated that it is not, but if that's the case it should be removed from the neurotransmitter page and the neurotransmitter list.--Whilom Chime (talk) 20:14, 4 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

No problem. I am not an expert either. The sources that I have read invariably describe melatonin as a (neuro)hormone that is synthesized in the pineal gland. For melatonin to be classified as a neurotransmitter, it would also need to be released from presynaptic neurons and I can find no support for that in the literature. Hence as you suggest, I think melatonin should be removed from the {{Neurotransmitters}} navbox and neurotransmitter article. Boghog (talk) 06:12, 5 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Review article saying that melatonin is effective for treating primary insomnia

Here's the article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28648359 I don't want to edit the part of the article which says that there's not enough evidence for this myself owing to my very limited knowledge of such subjects, but perhaps that should be done if that review article is right. Dakane2 (talk) 19:37, 23 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

medical uses and side effects categories overlap

There are quite a few side effects listed under medical uses. Perhaps these categories should simoly be combined into "Medical uses and side effects". Dig _deeper ^talk 04:11, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Proofreading

@Emh975: Can you proofread what you added? There's grammar mistakes and omissions (e.g., the bioavailability statement says "is between to and 50%" and doesn't specify a route of administration). Also, can you move the content you added in Melatonin#Pharmacodynamics to Melatonin#Biosynthesis and Melatonin#Regulation? Also, keep in mind that some of what you added is already covered there. Seppi333 (Insert 2¢) 20:13, 29 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

First sentence

IMO this is better "Melatonin is a hormone, produced primarily by the pineal gland, which regulates wakefulness"

Than "Melatonin is a hormone and free radical scavenger that regulates sleep-wake cycles and functions as a mitochondrial antioxidant"

The ref is not very definitive says "targeted to the mitochondria where it seems to function as an apex antioxidant"[1]

And this ref "Evidence has emerged to show that both mitochondria and chloroplasts may have the capacity to synthesize and metabolize melatonin."[2]

Hardly definitive and as such IMO belongs lower in the body. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 02:38, 1 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Seems fair. The only reason I edited the lead is because of the phrase "primarily by the pineal gland" - will cut that. Also, melatonin doesn't regulate wakefulness; it regulates sleep-wake cycles. They're not the same thing. Seppi333 (Insert 2¢) 05:17, 1 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What is wrong with "primarily by the pineal gland"? Yes it may be produced by other locations but it is primarily by the pineal no? Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 05:52, 1 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Based upon the references I've read, I think the only thing that can be said for certain is that melatonin which circulates in plasma (i.e, secreted/hormonal melatonin) is primarily synthesized in the pineal gland. Pinealectomy appears to increase its concentration in some fluid compartments. Seppi333 (Insert 2¢) 06:02, 1 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This ref says it is primarily made by the pineal gland.[3] Yes it might be made by other locations aswell.

But we have lots of refs that say that [4] Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 06:04, 1 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Then just clarify that melatonin which circulates in the blood stream is produced in the pineal gland. That's the only gland that produces and secretes it as a hormone. Seppi333 (Insert 2¢) 06:06, 1 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Okay so at least the hormone version is primarily from the pineal than. Have clarified. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 06:14, 1 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That seems fine. Seppi333 (Insert 2¢) 06:22, 1 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]