title: Melatonin, longevity and health in the aged: an assessment.
abstract: This brief review considers the potential role of melatonin in the processes of aging, the prolongation of life span and health in the aged. Studies completed to date generally suggest that exogenously administered melatonin may serve to extend life span in invertebrates, but evidence supporting this conclusion in mammals is less compelling. Thus, any conclusion regarding a role for melatonin in extending normal longevity, particularly in mammals, would be premature. With regard to deferring the signs of chemically-induced neurodegenerative conditions in experimental animals, the data are remarkably strong and there is a modicum of evidence that in humans with debilitating diseases melatonin may have some beneficial actions. Indeed, this should be one focus of future research since as the number of elderly increases in the population, the frequency of costly age-related diseases will become increasingly burdensome to both the patient and to society as a whole.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, MC 7762, The University of Texas Health Science Center, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA. reiter@uthscsa.edu
authors.forename: Russel J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.forename: Dun-Xian
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sainz
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lopez-Burillo
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005609:Free Radicals; D008550:Melatonin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D008550:Melatonin; D010100:Oxygen