Anti-glucocorticoid effects of melatonin in young rats.
Administration of the pineal hormone melatonin to young female rats provided significant prevention of the injurious effects (decrease of body weight gain, atrophy of the thymus and adrenals, glucosuria, elevation of the blood level of glucose, free fatty acid, triglyceride, and total cholesterol) caused by three different glucocorticoids, i.e. dexamethasone, prednisolone, and hydrocortisone. Although these protective effects of melatonin were slightly more remarkable in dexamethasone-treated rats than in prednisolone- or hydrocortisone-treated rats, our hypothesis of melatonin's anti-glucocorticoid effects is said to have been confirmed rather universally and with a considerably wide range through this experiment.
D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects
D001786:Blood Glucose; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D003907:Dexamethasone; D011239:Prednisolone; D008550:Melatonin; D006854:Hydrocortisone