Journal of Pineal Research最新文献

Sleep disturbances and mood changes are common during the climacteric, often linked to hormonal fluctuations caused by reduced ovarian function. Evidence suggests that long-term melatonin administration may improve the quality of life in climacteric women. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exogenous melatonin on climacteric symptoms, sleep quality, and reproductive hormones in women working fixed shifts. A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 46 nurses working fixed shifts at a hospital in São Paulo: morning (7:00-13:00, n = 16; intervention = 7, placebo = 9), afternoon (13:00-19:00, n = 15; intervention = 8, placebo = 7), and night (19:00-7:00, n = 15; intervention = 7, placebo = 8). Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 0.3 mg of melatonin or placebo. For night shift workers, melatonin was administered only on nights off, when they were sleeping at home; the same procedure was applied to morning and afternoon workers. Data collection included sociodemographic information, self-reported sleep quality, and menopausal symptoms. Blood samples were collected at home to measure luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, and progesterone before and after the intervention. A significant main effect of melatonin was observed, with a 15.8% reduction in climacteric symptoms compared with placebo (p = 0.01), independent of age or sleep duration, while no significant interaction with work shift was detected. Sleep quality improved by 35.33% on days off in the intervention group (p < 0.001), with morning shift workers showing a 32.46% improvement (p < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in reproductive hormone levels or total sleep duration. Exogenous melatonin effectively alleviates climacteric symptoms and improves sleep quality on days off, particularly among day-shift workers, without affecting reproductive hormone concentrations or total sleep duration. Trial Registration: RBR-10whktxm (UTN: U1111-1305-6221). Registered on 13 August 2025, retrospectively registered.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of melatonin supplementation on disease severity, sleep quality, and quality of life in adult patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). This study was designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving adult patients with mild to moderate AD. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to receive either a 10 mg melatonin tablet or a matching placebo once daily for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the severity of AD, assessed by SCORAD index at baseline and after 4 weeks of supplementation. Secondary outcomes included the intensity of pain (NPRS), pruritus severity (Pruritus-NRS), sleep quality (ADSS), and quality of life (DLQI). Eighty patients completed the study. The mean age (Standard deviation) of the patients was 33.26 (12.57) years, and 32 patients (40%) were male. The SCORAD, Pruritus-NRS, 12-PSS, ADSS, and DLQI indices improved significantly (p-values of < 0.001, 0.006, 0.011, < 0.05, and 0.003, respectively) after 4 weeks of supplementation. However, melatonin supplementation did not improve the NPRS (p-value: 0.063). No patient reported an adverse effect throughout the study. Melatonin supplementation in adult patients with mild to moderate AD effectively improved disease severity, sleep quality, and quality of life, without any reported adverse effects. However, due to limitations of our study, further research is required to confirm these findings.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by significant challenges in social interactions and repetitive behaviors. Its prevalence is high, with males affected at a rate four times higher than females. Among various comorbidities associated with ASD, sleep disorders and abnormal melatonin levels have emerged as critical areas of concern. Melatonin, a potent endogenous hormone, plays essential roles as a circadian regulator, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant agent through the release of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and stimulation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes. This study sets out to examine the effects of melatonin administration during gestation and lactation on ASD-related behaviors, focusing on sex-specific differences in a well-established ASD model. Pregnant rats received an intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (VPA) or saline at gestational day 12.5 (E12.5) and were treated with melatonin or vehicle from E13 until weaning. Our results indicated that chronic melatonin supplementation effectively reversed behavioral, circadian, and morphological abnormalities in male offspring. In females, melatonin prevented the inflammatory responses induced by VPA. Furthermore, chronic melatonin treatment restored the altered profile of serum melatonin observed in VPA animals and also restored the circadian expression of enzymes critical for its synthesis. These findings highlight sex-specific alterations prevalent in this model and strongly suggest that melatonin represents a promising therapeutic approach for mitigating ASD-related behaviors in the VPA model, warranting further investigation to assess its clinical relevance.

Expression of concern: S. Paul, P. Bhattacharya, P. D. Mahapatra, and S. Swarnakar, "Melatonin Protects Against Endometriosis via Regulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 and an Apoptotic Pathway," Journal of Pineal Research 49, no. 2 (2010): 156-168, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2010.00780.x. This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 02 August 2010 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and has been issued by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Gianluca Tosini; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The Expression of Concern has been agreed due to concerns raised by third parties. Specifically, the features of the sections presented in Figure 6 (A), (B), and (C) were found to closely resemble those of small intestine rather than endometrial (uterine) tissue in mice. Due to the time elapsed since publication, the authors were unable to retrieve the raw data underlying the images. Despite the authors highlighting several features in their clarification to support that the images represent uterine tissue from a surgically induced mouse endometriosis model-such as morphological details of uterine glands, stroma, blood vessels, and expected cycle-related changes-they also acknowledge that the possibility of having reported a different tissue type cannot be fully ruled out. Therefore, the journal has decided to issue an Expression of Concern to inform and alert the readers.

Light is the primary cue that synchronises the human circadian system to the 24-h day, advancing or delaying circadian rhythms depending on its timing. While it is known that morning light induces phase advances, most studies assess the timing of dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) in the subsequent circadian cycle, over 24 h after the light intervention. However, it is unclear whether these phase advances occur within the same circadian cycle as the light intervention or the next one. This narrative review addresses the question of whether morning light can phase-advance human melatonin rhythms in less than 24 h. To answer this question, we review studies that use same-day or single-cycle protocols, in which light exposure and post-intervention DLMO assessment occur within the same 24-h period. To compare light interventions across studies, melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance (mEDI) values were estimated and related to the magnitude of the observed phase advance. The reviewed research suggests that modest phase advances of 10-30 min can be achieved within the same circadian cycle if light is delivered shortly after waking up in the morning. This is particularly effective if the light is bright, blue-enriched, or if it is delivered for a long time (over 1 h). There was a statistical trend (r = 0.51, p = 0.06) towards a positive association between the mEDI of the light intervention and the magnitude of the phase advance. Overall, same-day phase-advances seem possible but not well characterised, and more targeted work is needed to determine whether morning light can phase-advance human melatonin rhythms in less than 24 h. If this is confirmed, the length of circadian protocols could be reduced, accelerating the clinical use of treatments for circadian rhythms sleep-wake disorder.

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: M. Zhai, Z. Liu, B. Zhang, L. Jing, B. Li, K. Li, X. Chen, M. Zhang, B. Yu, K. Ren, Y. Yang, W. Yi, J. Yang, J. Liu, D. Yi, H. Liang, Z. Jin, R. J. Reiter, W. Duan, and S. Yu, “Melatonin Protects Against the Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy Induced by Transverse Aortic Constriction Through Activating PGC-1β: In Vivo and In Vitro Studies,” Journal of Pineal Research 63, no. 3 (2017): e12433, https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.12433.

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 14 July 2017 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and has been issued by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Gianluca Tosini; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. A third party raised concerns of image overlap between the 4 wk TAC image and the 8 wk Sham + Mel image in Figure 2D. An investigation by the publisher confirmed this concern and also found overlap between the Perivascular (8 wk) and Interstitial (8 wk) images in Figure 4A. The authors did not respond to an inquiry and request for original data by the publisher, and as such the data in this article related to the concerns cannot be validated. This Expression of Concern has been published in order to inform and alert readers about the concerns of image overlap in Figures 2D and 4A. The authors were informed of this Expression of Concern.

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: K. Ganguly, A. V. Sharma, R. J. Reiter, and S. Swarnakar, “Melatonin Promotes Angiogenesis During Protection and Healing of Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Ulcer: Role of Matrix Metaloproteinase-2,” Journal of Pineal Research 49, no. 2 (2010): 130-140, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2010.00776.x

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 02 August 2010 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and has been issued by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Gianluca Tosini; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. A third party raised concerns that bands in lanes within Figure 4A (gelatin zymography) and within Figure 5B (Western blot) were highly similar and may have been duplicated. The authors responded to an inquiry by the publisher about these concerns, but they were not able to provide original data.

Following this inquiry, an investigation by the publisher found further concerns of similarity between the MMP-2 gel in Figure 4C and the VEGF gel in Figure 4D, similarities of bands within Figure 6B, similarities in lanes within Figure 6C, and similarities in lanes within Figure 6D. However, the concerns could not be validated due to the condition of the image data.

Because original data are no longer available, the experimental results related to these concerns cannot be validated. This Expression of Concern has been published in order to inform and alert readers about concerns with Figures 4, 5, and 6. The authors were informed of this Expression of Concern.

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: L. Zhao, R. An, Y. Yang, X. Yang, H. Liu, L. Yue, X. Li, Y. Lin, R. J. Reiter, and Y. Qu, “Melatonin Alleviates Brain Injury in Mice Subjected to Cecal Ligation and Puncture via Attenuating Inflammation, Apoptosis, and Oxidative Stress: The Role of SIRT1 Signaling,” Journal of Pineal Research 59, no. 2 (2015): 230-239, https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.12254.

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 10 June 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and has been issued by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Gianluca Tosini; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. A third party raised concerns that the AC-Fox01 and Bax bands in Figure 3 were duplicated. An investigation by the publisher confirmed that the bands had been duplicated. The authors did not respond to an inquiry and request for original data by the publisher, and as such the data related to the concerns cannot be validated. This Expression of Concern has been published in order to inform and alert readers about the concerns in Figure 3. The authors were informed of this Expression of Concern.

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: D. Mukherjee, A. K. Ghosh, M. Dutta, E. Mitra, S. Mallick, B. Saha, R. J. Reiter, and D. Bandyopadhyay, “Mechanisms of Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiac Mitochondrial Damage: Protective Actions of Melatonin,” Journal of Pineal Research 58, no. 3 (2015): 275-290, https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.12213.

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 05 February 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and has been issued by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Gianluca Tosini; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. A third party raised concerns of overlap between the MEL and I + M images in Figure 1A. An investigation by the publisher confirmed these concerns. The authors responded to an inquiry by the publisher and stated that the original data were no longer available. As such, the publisher is not able to validate the data related to these concerns. This Expression of Concern has been published in order to inform and alert readers about the concerns in Figure 1A. The authors were informed of this Expression of Concern.