Melatonin changes GAGs

[Guest guest]

Listmates,

This below is a relatively new article, and is unfortunately in Russian,

but the brief abstract says that melatonin changes the spectrum (probably

relative distribution) of the sort of sulfated molecules that might be

underfunctioning in autism. I know I have heard good and bad reports on

melatonin on internet lists, and these effects on sulfated molecules may be

one of the ways melatonin supplementation would change things in ways we

could not presently anticipate.

Many years ago on St. s, we had a thread about melatonin, for one

researcher had found that levels in autism tended not to appropriately

change with the diurnal rhythm, but stayed about the same all the

time. There is a diurnal rhythm to the way the body processes sulfated

glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), so perhaps melatonin has a role there. This

article was not looking at that aspect, but it sounds like they were using

melatonin topically on a wound. Whether that means the levels of this

molecule that are found in blood affect GAGs around the body significantly

is at this point a guess, but it ought to be checked out.

I'm not sure what significance we should put to this little nugget, but it

may reflect a possible difference among us relative to the expression or

function of melatonin, whether that difference began in a genetic or an

environmental framework. Perhaps those who have used melatonin as a

supplement can be careful to notice if their pattern of response (positive

or negative) clusters with any other observation of listmates with a child

who responded in a similar fashion.

I've also put below another article posted earlier this year showing

that melatonin functions all over the body, not just in the pineal

gland. It was also written in Russia, which may suggest they are more

interested in exploring non-pineal functions of melatonin than we

English-speakers appear to be.

Please enjoy the reading,

Effect of melatonin on wound healing and various biochemical characteristics

of granulation-fibrous tissue in rats]

[Vliianie melatonina na zazhivlenie ran i nekotorye biokhimicheskie

kharakteristiki

granuliatsionno-fibroznoi tkani krys.]

Vopr Med Khim 2000 Jan-Feb;46(1):52-61 (ISSN: 0042-8809)

Hva KR; Ol'shevskii EG; Markina LG; Abramov Iu V; Volodina TV; Kozel'tsev

VL; Bykov VA

[Find other articles with these Authors]

Research Centre for Biomedical Technology, Moscow.

The influence of melatonin application on wounds healing and biochemical

composition of rat regenerating granulation tissue was studied. Melatonin

decreased healing rate of wounds. The differences in electrophoretic

pattern of proteins extracted by neutral saline solutions were detected.

Melatonin increased quantity of neutral soluble collagen fraction and gene

expression of minor types of collagen in normal skin. Spectrum of

glycosaminoglycans' was changed, and earlier increase of chondroitinsulfats

induced by administration of melatonin was observed.

Histochem J 1999 Jan;31(1):1-12

Extrapineal melatonin: location and role within diffuse neuroendocrine system.

Kvetnoy IM

Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Medical Radiological Research Centre of

Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Obninsk, Russia.

During the last decade, much attention has centred on melatonin,one of the

hormones of the diffuse neuroendocrine system. For many years it was

considered to be only a hormone of the pineal gland. As soon as highly

sensitive antibodies to indolealkylamines became available, melatonin was

identified not only in pineal gland, but also in extrapineal tissues. These

included the retina, Harderian gland, gut mucosa, cerebellum, airway

epithelium,liver, kidney, adrenals, thymus, thyroid, pancreas, ovary,

carotid body,

placenta and endometrium. It has also been localized in non-neuroendocrine

cells such as mast cells, natural killer cells, eosinophilic leukocytes,

platelets and endothelial

cells. This list of cells indicates that melatonin has a unique position

among the hormones of the diffuse neuroendocrine system. It is found in

practically all organ systems. Functionally, melatonin-producing cells are

part and parcel of the diffuse neuroendocrine system as a universal system

of response, control and organism protection. Taking into account the large

number of such melatonin-producing cells in many organs, the wide spectrum

of biological activities of melatonin and especially its main property as a

universal regulator of biological rhythms, it is now possible to consider

extrapineal

melatonin as a key paracrine signal molecule for the local co-ordination of

intercellular relationships.