title: Preliminary study: Evaluation of melatonin secretion in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Melatonin is an indolamine hormone, synthesized from tryptophan in the pineal gland primarily. Melatonin exerts both antioxidative and immunoregulatory roles but little is known about melatonin secretion in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The aim of this study was to measure serum melatonin levels in patients with T1DM and investigates their relationship with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty children and adolescents with T1DM (18 boys and 22 girls) and 30 healthy control subjects (17 boys and 13 girls) participated in the study. All patients followed in Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit of Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine and also control subjects had no hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, anemia, and infection. Blood samples were collected during routine analysis, after overnight fasting. Serum melatonin levels were analyzed with ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences related with age, sex, BMI distribution between diabetic group and control group. Mean diabetic duration was 2.89 ± 2.69 years. The variables were in the equation. Mean melatonin level in diabetic group was 6.75 ± 3.52 pg/ml and mean melatonin level in control group was 11.51 ± 4.74 pg/ml. Melatonin levels were significantly lower in diabetic group compared to controls (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Melatonin was associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus significantly. Because of the varied roles of melatonin in human metabolic rhythms, these results suggest a role of melatonin in maintaining normal rhythmicity. Melatonin may play role in preventing process of inflammation and oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yilmaz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kor
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Iclal
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Geyikli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keskin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muslum
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akan
keywords: Adolescent; Type 1 diabetes mellitus; children; melatonin