title: Beneficial effects of melatonin on cardiological alterations in a murine model of accelerated aging.
abstract: This study investigated the effect of aging-related parameters such as inflammation, oxidative stress and cell death in the heart in an animal model of accelerated senescence and analyzed the effects of chronic administration of melatonin on these markers. Thirty male mice of senescence-accelerated prone (SAMP8) and 30 senescence-accelerated-resistant mice (SAMR1) at 2 and 10 months of age were used. Animals were divided into eight experimental groups, four from each strain: two young control groups, two old untreated control groups, and four melatonin-treated groups. Melatonin was provided at two different dosages (1 and 10 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water. After 30 days of treatment, the expression of inflammatory mediators (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin 1 and 10, NFkBp50 and NFkBp52), apoptosis markers (BAD, BAX and Bcl2) and parameters related to oxidative stress (heme oxygenases 1 and 2, endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthases) were determined in the heart by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Inflammation, as well as, oxidative stress and apoptosis markers was increased in old SAMP8 males, when compared to its young controls. SAMR1 mice showed significantly lower basal levels of the measured parameters and smaller increases with age or no increases at all. After treatment with melatonin, these age-altered parameters were partially reversed, especially in SAMP8 mice. The results suggest that oxidative stress and inflammation increase with aging and that chronic treatment with melatonin, a potent antioxidant, reduces these parameters. The effects were more marked in the SAMP8 animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Forman
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vara
authors.forename: Cruz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kireev
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cuesta
authors.forename: Darío
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Acuña-Castroviejo
authors.forename: J A F
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Tresguerres
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000235:genetics; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000235:genetics; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D052002:NF-kappa B p50 Subunit / Q000235:genetics; D052003:NF-kappa B p52 Subunit / Q000235:genetics; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000235:genetics; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000235:genetics; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D007375:Interleukin-1; D052002:NF-kappa B p50 Subunit; D052003:NF-kappa B p52 Subunit; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; C105245:heme oxygenase-2; D008550:Melatonin