Melatonin / GSH Cancer Research Results

MEL, Melatonin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Hormone in the body made by pineal gland.
• Melatonin is a potent antioxidant. It neutralizes reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), which are involved in DNA damage and cancer progression.
• Melatonin has been shown to modulate apoptotic pathways by influencing mitochondrial permeability, cytochrome c release, and caspase activation.
• In several cancer cell models, melatonin appears to promote apoptosis in malignant cells while sparing normal cells.

The most well-known indolamines are serotonin and melatonin, both of which play significant roles in regulating mood, sleep, and overall mental well-being.

Melatonin doses (20 mg to even 40 mg per day), often given as an adjuvant treatment for cancer.
-The plasma half-life of melatonin is generally in the range of approximately 20 to 60 minutes
-It has been suggested that administering melatonin at the appropriate phase of the circadian cycle may enhance its anti-tumor activity and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Bio-availability: Oral melatonin has a low and variable bio-availability (often estimated between 3% and 33%), which means that only a fraction of the ingested dose reaches the bloodstream unchanged.

For proOxidant effect might need >10uM, which might be 100mg dose (assuming 10% bio-availability) Might also be required X10 levels?
-It remains unknown whether the pro-oxidant action exists in vivo. the vast majority of evidence indicates that melatonin is a potent antioxidant in vivo even at pharmacological concentrations.

Interactions:
-Melatonin could potentially add to the blood pressure–lowering properties of antihypertensive drugs.
-Patients using insulin should be monitored for changes in blood glucose levels.
-Melatonin might interact with drugs like warfarin, aspirin, or clopidogrel.(antiplatelet)


Melatonin Cancer Relevant Pathways
Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells Label Primary Interpretation Notes
1 Circadian signaling (MT1 / MT2 receptors) ↓ proliferative circadian disruption ↑ circadian synchronization Driver Chronobiology normalization Melatonin restores circadian control; cancer cells lose growth advantages from circadian dysregulation
2 Reactive oxygen species (ROS) ↓ ROS (baseline); context-dependent ↑ stress signaling ↓ ROS (strong buffering) Driver Antioxidant dominance with signaling effects Melatonin is a potent direct and indirect antioxidant; cancer cells may still undergo stress-mediated growth inhibition
3 Mitochondrial function ↓ metabolic flexibility; ↑ apoptosis sensitivity ↑ mitochondrial efficiency Secondary Mitochondrial stabilization vs vulnerability Melatonin improves mitochondrial function in normal cells while limiting metabolic plasticity in cancer cells
4 Estrogen signaling (ERα modulation) ↓ estrogen-driven proliferation ↔ minimal Secondary Hormone-dependent growth suppression Particularly relevant in breast and hormone-responsive cancers
5 NF-κB signaling ↓ inflammatory / survival signaling ↓ inflammatory tone Secondary Anti-inflammatory modulation NF-κB suppression contributes to reduced tumor-promoting inflammation
6 Cell cycle regulation ↓ proliferation / ↑ arrest ↔ spared Phenotypic Cytostatic growth control Growth inhibition reflects upstream circadian and hormonal effects
7 Apoptosis sensitivity ↑ sensitivity to apoptosis (chemo/RT) ↓ apoptosis Phenotypic Therapy sensitization Melatonin enhances response to chemo- and radiotherapy while protecting normal tissue


GSH, Glutathione: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Glutathione (GSH) is a thiol antioxidant that scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in the formation of oxidized glutathione (GSSG). Decreased amounts of GSH and a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio in tissues are biomarkers of oxidative stress.
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant found in every cell of the body, composed of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. It plays a crucial role in protecting cells from oxidative stress, detoxifying harmful substances, and supporting the immune system.
cancer cells can have elevated levels of glutathione, which may help them survive in the oxidative environment created by the immune response and chemotherapy. This can make cancer cells more resistant to treatment.
While glutathione can be obtained from certain foods (like fruits, vegetables, and meats), its absorption from supplements is debated. Some people take N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or other precursors to boost glutathione levels, but the effects on cancer prevention or treatment are still being studied.
Depleting glutathione (GSH) to raise reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a strategy that has been explored in cancer research and therapy.
Many cancer cells have altered redox states and may rely on GSH to survive. Increasing ROS levels can induce stress in these cells, potentially leading to cell death.
Certain drugs and compounds can deplete GSH levels. For example, agents like buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) inhibit the synthesis of GSH, leading to its depletion.
Cancer cells tend to exhibit higher levels of intracellular GSH, possibly as an adaptive response to a higher metabolism and thus higher steady-state levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

"...intracellular glutathione (GSH) exhibits an astounding antioxidant activity in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS)..."
"Cancer cells have a high level of GSH compared to normal cells."
"...cancer cells are affluent with high antioxidant levels, especially with GSH, whose appearance at an elevated concentration of ∼10 mM (10 times less in normal cells) detoxifies the cancer cells." "Therefore, GSH depletion can be assumed to be the key strategy to amplify the oxidative stress in cancer cells, enhancing the destruction of cancer cells by fruitful cancer therapy."

The loss of GSH is broadly known to be directly related to the apoptosis progression.


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
5384- AsP,  MEL,    Synergistic Anticancer Effect of Melatonin and Ascorbyl Palmitate Nanoformulation: A Promising Combination for Cancer Therapy
- in-vivo, Var, NA
AntiCan↑, TumCG↓, Apoptosis↑, DNAdam↑, TumCCA↑, IL6↓, STAT3↓, TumCP↓, Ki-67↓, TumCI↓, TumMeta↓, MMP9↓, eff↑, *Catalase↑, *SOD↑, *GSH↑, *MDA↓, *NO↓, *antiOx↑, *hepatoP↑, *RenoP↑,
1780- MEL,    Utilizing Melatonin to Alleviate Side Effects of Chemotherapy: A Potentially Good Partner for Treating Cancer with Ageing
- Review, Var, NA
*antiOx↑, *toxicity↓, ChemoSen↑, *eff↑, *mitResp↑, *ATP↑, *ROS↓, *CardioT↓, *GSH↑, *NOS2↓, *lipid-P↓, eff↑, *HO-1↑, *NRF2↑, *NF-kB↑, TumCP↓, eff↑, neuroP↑,
1782- MEL,    Melatonin in Cancer Treatment: Current Knowledge and Future Opportunities
- Review, Var, NA
AntiCan↑, Apoptosis↑, TumCP↓, TumCG↑, TumMeta↑, ChemoSideEff↓, radioP↑, ChemoSen↑, *ROS↓, *SOD↑, *GSH↑, *GPx↑, *Catalase↑, Dose∅, VEGF↓, eff↑, Hif1a↓, GLUT1↑, GLUT3↑, CAIX↑, P21↑, p27↑, PTEN↑, Warburg↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, NF-kB↓, cycD1/CCND1↓, CDK4↓, CycB/CCNB1↓, CDK4↓, MAPK↑, IGF-1R↓, STAT3↓, MMP9↓, MMP2↓, MMP13↓, E-cadherin↑, Vim↓, RANKL↓, JNK↑, Bcl-2↓, P53↑, Casp3↑, Casp9↑, BAX↑, DNArepair↑, COX2↓, IL6↓, IL8↓, NO↓, T-Cell↑, NK cell↑, Treg lymp↓, FOXP3↓, CD4+↑, TNF-α↑, Th1 response↑, BioAv↝, RadioS↑, OS↑,
1777- MEL,    Melatonin as an antioxidant: under promises but over delivers
- Review, NA, NA
*ROS↓, *Fenton↓, *antiOx↑, *toxicity∅, *GPx↑, *GSR↑, *GSH↑, *NO↓, *Iron↓, *Copper↓, *IL1β↓, *iNOS↓, *Casp3↓, *BBB↑, *RenoP↑, chemoP↑, *Ca+2↝, eff↑, *PKCδ?, ChemoSen↑, eff↑, Akt↓, DR5↑, selectivity↑, ROS↑, eff↑,
1063- MEL,    HDAC1 inhibition by melatonin leads to suppression of lung adenocarcinoma cells via induction of oxidative stress and activation of apoptotic pathways
- in-vitro, Lung, A549 - in-vitro, Lung, PC9
AntiCan↑, TumCMig↓, GSH↓, Casp3↑, Apoptosis↑, ROS↑, HDAC1↓, Ac-histone H3↑, PUMA↑, BAX↑, PCNA↓, Bcl-2↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 5 of 5

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 5

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

GSH↓, 1,   ROS↑, 2,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis

Ac-histone H3↑, 1,   CAIX↑, 1,   Warburg↓, 1,  

Cell Death

Akt↓, 2,   Apoptosis↑, 3,   BAX↑, 2,   Bcl-2↓, 2,   Casp3↑, 2,   Casp9↑, 1,   DR5↑, 1,   JNK↑, 1,   MAPK↑, 1,   p27↑, 1,   PUMA↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair

DNAdam↑, 1,   DNArepair↑, 1,   P53↑, 1,   PCNA↓, 1,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence

CDK4↓, 2,   CycB/CCNB1↓, 1,   cycD1/CCND1↓, 1,   P21↑, 1,   TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

HDAC1↓, 1,   IGF-1R↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 1,   PTEN↑, 1,   STAT3↓, 2,   TumCG↓, 1,   TumCG↑, 1,  

Migration

E-cadherin↑, 1,   Ki-67↓, 1,   MMP13↓, 1,   MMP2↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 2,   Treg lymp↓, 1,   TumCI↓, 1,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumCP↓, 3,   TumMeta↓, 1,   TumMeta↑, 1,   Vim↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

Hif1a↓, 1,   NO↓, 1,   VEGF↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport

GLUT1↑, 1,   GLUT3↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

CD4+↑, 1,   COX2↓, 1,   FOXP3↓, 1,   IL6↓, 2,   IL8↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 1,   NK cell↑, 1,   T-Cell↑, 1,   Th1 response↑, 1,   TNF-α↑, 1,  

Hormonal & Nuclear Receptors

RANKL↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

BioAv↝, 1,   ChemoSen↑, 3,   Dose∅, 1,   eff↑, 7,   RadioS↑, 1,   selectivity↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers

IL6↓, 2,   Ki-67↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes

AntiCan↑, 3,   chemoP↑, 1,   ChemoSideEff↓, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   OS↑, 1,   radioP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 74

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

antiOx↑, 3,   Catalase↑, 2,   Copper↓, 1,   Fenton↓, 1,   GPx↑, 2,   GSH↑, 4,   GSR↑, 1,   HO-1↑, 1,   Iron↓, 1,   lipid-P↓, 1,   MDA↓, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   ROS↓, 3,   SOD↑, 2,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics

ATP↑, 1,   mitResp↑, 1,  

Cell Death

Casp3↓, 1,   iNOS↓, 1,  

Migration

Ca+2↝, 1,   PKCδ?, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

NO↓, 2,  

Barriers & Transport

BBB↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling

IL1β↓, 1,   NF-kB↑, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance

eff↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers

NOS2↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes

CardioT↓, 1,   hepatoP↑, 1,   RenoP↑, 2,   toxicity↓, 1,   toxicity∅, 1,  
Total Targets: 31

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: GSH, Glutathione
5 Melatonin
1 Ascorbyl Palmitate
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells
Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:%  Cells:%  prod#:122  Target#:137  State#:%  Dir#:%
wNotes=0 sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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