title: Melatonin suppresses the pinealectomy-induced elevation of collagen content in a wound.
abstract: The pineal gland hormone was shown to be involved in the regulation of repair and connective tissue accumulation in a wound. The hypothesis that melatonin injection could reverse the pinealectomy-induced elevation of the collagen content in scar tissue was verified. The effect of various melatonin doses (3, 30 and 100 micrograms/100 g body wt) on soluble, insoluble and total collagen content in the granulation tissue of a wound was investigated. The collagen level was estimated in pinealectomized rats, as well as in pinealectomized animals treated with melatonin. Ivalon sponges inserted subcutaneously were applied as a wound model. After 4 weeks the collagen content was measured as a hydroxyproline concentration in the dry tissue of the wound. The results showed that melatonin at the dose of 30 micrograms/100 g body wt significantly decreased both total and insoluble collagen content in the wounded tissue (p < 0.05), but other doses were ineffective. Pinealectomy increased the total (p = 0.05) and insoluble collagen level (p < 0.05) in the granulation tissue. Melatonin suppressed pinealectomy-induced elevation of the total and insoluble collagen content in the wounds (p < 0.05). No influence of the pineal gland on the soluble collagen content was observed. The results showed that melatonin was involved in the inhibitory control of the collagen content.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, University School of Medicine, Lódź, Poland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Drobnik
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dabrowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis*; D006097:Granulation Tissue / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D006099:Granuloma; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000502:physiology*; D011145:Polyvinyls; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D011145:Polyvinyls; C026699:ivalon sponge; D003094:Collagen; D008550:Melatonin