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Melatonin and Cancer: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives

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A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Drug Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 August 2024 | Viewed by 3078

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francisco López-Muñoz

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Health Sciences, University Camilo José Cela, C/castillo de Alarcón, 49, Urb. Villafranca del Castillo, 28692 Madrid, Spain
Interests: psychopharmacology; mental health; melatonin; neurosciences; adjunctive therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Alejandro Romero Martínez

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Guest Editor

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: melatonin; oxidative stress; inflammation; neuroblastoma; chemical warfare agents; adjunctive therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Melatonin has increasingly emerged in oncology as a naturally occurring bioactive molecule with anticancer properties and a pharmacological safety profile optimal for joining the currently available pharmacopeia. The anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic effects of melatonin suggest that it may have potential therapeutic applications in the treatment of cancer. In addition, melatonin has been shown to inhibit the migration and invasion of cancer cells, which are important steps in the process of tumor metastasis. This effect is believed to be mediated by the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We focused our attention on the molecular mechanisms underlying the multiple oncostatic actions displayed by melatonin and its potential as an adjuvant in preclinical models, in the treatment of cancer patients, and in novel-combination chemotherapeutic cocktails. This Special Issue aims to serve as a forum to bring together researchers of different fields to advance the knowledge on the therapeutic use of melatonin against cancer.

Dr. Francisco López-Muñoz
Prof. Dr. Alejandro Romero Martínez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

melatonin
adjuvant therapy
chemotherapy cytotoxicity
clinical management
chronotherapy

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1139 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Melatonin Supplementation on Cancer-Related Fatigue during Chemotherapy Treatment of Breast Cancer Patients: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Study

by Frantzeska Nimee, Aristea Gioxari, Panos Papandreou, Charalampia Amerikanou, Sofia Karageorgopoulou, Andriana C. Kaliora and Maria Skouroliakou

Cancers 2024, 16(4), 802; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16040802 - 16 Feb 2024

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Abstract

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common distressing complaint of breast cancer (BC) patients treated with chemotherapy. Nutritional quality plays a pivotal role in CRF, while increased interest towards new pharmacological agents has been observed. Melatonin, an endogenous hormone that regulates the human sleep–wake cycle, could alleviate CRF. In the present randomized, placebo-controlled 3-month trial, we investigated the effects of melatonin intake (i.e., 1 mg/day) vs. placebo in BC patients on CRF. In both arms, the Mediterranean diet (MD) was implemented. Medical history, anthropometry and blood withdrawal were performed. CRF was evaluated by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Fatigue questionnaire and MD adherence by the MedDietScore. In total, 49 BC women (median age 52 years) were recruited, namely N = 23 in the intervention arm and N = 26 in the placebo arm. At baseline, CRF was positively associated with body mass index (BMI), even when adjusted for age, waist circumference and blood indices related to disease prognosis (beta = −0.882, p = 0.003). At 3 months, both groups showed a BMI decrease (p < 0.05), but only the intervention group improved CRF compared to baseline (p = 0.003). No differences in CRF were observed between the groups. In conclusion, melatonin oral supplementation could ameliorate CRF in BC patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melatonin and Cancer: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives)

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Review

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23 pages, 2401 KiB

Open AccessReview

Protective Effects of Melatonin against Carcinogen-Induced Oxidative Damage in the Thyroid

by Jan Stępniak and Małgorzata Karbownik-Lewińska

Cancers 2024, 16(9), 1646; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16091646 - 25 Apr 2024

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Abstract

Melatonin, primarily synthesized in the pineal gland, plays a crucial role in regulating circadian rhythms and possesses significant antioxidative properties. By neutralizing free radicals and reducing oxidative stress, melatonin emerges as a promising agent for the prevention and therapy of many different disorders, including cancer. This paper reviews the relationship between the thyroid gland and melatonin, presenting experimental evidence on the protective effects of this indoleamine against oxidative damage to macromolecules in thyroid tissue caused by documented carcinogens (as classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC) or caused by potential carcinogens. Furthermore, the possible influence on cancer therapy in humans and the overall well-being of cancer patients are discussed. The article highlights melatonin’s essential role in maintaining thyroid health and its contribution to management strategies in patients with thyroid cancer and other thyroid diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melatonin and Cancer: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives)

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26 pages, 1769 KiB

Open AccessReview

Melatonin and Its Role in the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Cancer

by Carlos Martínez-Campa, Virginia Álvarez-García, Carolina Alonso-González, Alicia González and Samuel Cos

Cancers 2024, 16(5), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16050956 - 27 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1043

Abstract

The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cell-biological program that occurs during the progression of several physiological processes and that can also take place during pathological situations such as carcinogenesis. The EMT program consists of the sequential activation of a number of intracellular signaling pathways aimed at driving epithelial cells toward the acquisition of a series of intermediate phenotypic states arrayed along the epithelial–mesenchymal axis. These phenotypic features include changes in the motility, conformation, polarity and functionality of cancer cells, ultimately leading cells to stemness, increased invasiveness, chemo- and radioresistance and the formation of cancer metastasis. Amongst the different existing types of the EMT, type 3 is directly involved in carcinogenesis. A type 3 EMT occurs in neoplastic cells that have previously acquired genetic and epigenetic alterations, specifically affecting genes involved in promoting clonal outgrowth and invasion. Markers such as E-cadherin; N-cadherin; vimentin; and transcription factors (TFs) like Twist, Snail and ZEB are considered key molecules in the transition. The EMT process is also regulated by microRNA expression. Many miRNAs have been reported to repress EMT-TFs. Thus, Snail 1 is repressed by miR-29, miR-30a and miR-34a; miR-200b downregulates Slug; and ZEB1 and ZEB2 are repressed by miR-200 and miR-205, respectively. Occasionally, some microRNA target genes act downstream of the EMT master TFs; thus, Twist1 upregulates the levels of miR-10b. Melatonin is an endogenously produced hormone released mainly by the pineal gland. It is widely accepted that melatonin exerts oncostatic actions in a large variety of tumors, inhibiting the initiation, progression and invasion phases of tumorigenesis. The molecular mechanisms underlying these inhibitory actions are complex and involve a great number of processes. In this review, we will focus our attention on the ability of melatonin to regulate some key EMT-related markers, transcription factors and micro-RNAs, summarizing the multiple ways by which this hormone can regulate the EMT. Since melatonin has no known toxic side effects and is also known to help overcome drug resistance, it is a good candidate to be considered as an adjuvant drug to conventional cancer therapies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melatonin and Cancer: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives)

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