Russel J. Reiter

Jo Robinson

Describes the qualities of a hormone produced in the human brain that can combat aging, boost the immune system, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, lower cholesterol, and alleviate sleeplessness

Your Body's Natural Wonder Drug

Melatonin

Franco Fraschini

Bojidar Stankov

This volume contains the written contributions to the proceedings of a workshop related to the pineal gland and its hormones, which was held in Erice, Italy, on June 7 -June 13, 1994. This series of workshops, which began in 1982 and which have been held at four-year intervals since that time, has provided important continuity for advancing the state of knowledge relating to this very important investigative area. The enthusiasm for these conferences has increased steadily, as reflected in the number of individuals applying to attend and in the input of individuals who participate in the meeting. The 1994 meeting was important because of its timeliness. In the two years preceding the meeting a number of revolutionary discoveries were made relative to the actions of the pineal hormone melatonin. The Xenopus melatonin receptor was cloned, melatonin was demonstrated to be a potent antioxidant, the significance of melatonin receptors at the level of pars tuberalis in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis was questioned, a number of melatonin receptor analogues were discovered and successfully utilized, the mechanisms by which melatonin retards initiation and promotion of cancer was further elucidated, the clinical aspects of the pineal gland was re-scrutinized. Reviews relating to each of these subjects, as well as many others, are contained in this proceedings book. This volume represents an up-to-date repository for the most recent information related to this rapidly advancing field.

Fundamentals and Clinical Perspectives

The Pineal Gland and Its Hormones

Hing-Sing Yu

Melatonin: Biosynthesis, Physiological Effects, and Clinical Applications provides a thorough review of recent advances in major areas of melatonin research. The book is arranged in a logical sequence, beginning with the history of melatonin and then proceeding to cover its biochemistry and secretion, physiological effects, and clinical significance. New findings and current concepts are emphasized, and a significant amount of previously unpublished data are included. The book will be an important reference for neurobiologists, cell biologists, ophthalmologists, endocrinologists, neuroendocrinologists, reproductive biologists, psychiatrists, and other researchers and clinicians interested in melatonin.

Biosynthesis, Physiological Effects, and Clinical Applications

Yang Yang

SIRT Family in Endocrinology

Georges J. M. Maestroni

Ario Conti

Over the past decade, the potential of the pineal hormone melatonin as a therapeutic agent in a variety of diseases has been recognized. This book is the first to review the effect of melatonin in sleep disorders, its possible use as an immunoregulatory agent and clinical results obtained in cancer immunotherapy. Several papers are devoted to the pharmacological and molecular characterization of melatonin receptors in a variety of cell types. Other contributions further investigate the immunoenhancing effect of melatonin, such as in viral encephalitis and bacterial infections, and consider possible therapeutic indications. Melatonin is also reported to exert important hematopoietic effects by stimulating the production of novel T helper cell opioid cytokines. Other basic studies introduce new perspectives describing melatonin as a potent free radical scavenger. This book should be read by clinicians working in the fields of sleep disorders, oncology and infectious diseases as well as by scientists active in the field of neuroimmunomodulation. It will also be very useful to all those interested in melatonin as a therapeutic agent.

Russel J. Reiter

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