Effects of melatonin and its analogues on neural stem cells.
Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent cells which are capable of self-replication and differentiation into neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). NSCs are found in two main regions in the adult brain: the subgranular zone (SGZ) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) and the subventricular zone (SVZ). The recent discovery of NSCs in the adult mammalian brain has fostered a plethora of translational and preclinical studies to investigate novel approaches for the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. Melatonin is the major secretory product synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland and shows both a wide distribution within phylogenetically distant organisms from bacteria to humans and a great functional versatility. Recently, accumulated experimental evidence showed that melatonin plays an important role in NSCs, including its proliferation, differentiation and survival, which are modulated by many factors including MAPK/ERK signaling pathway, histone acetylation, neurotrophic factors, transcription factors, and apoptotic genes. The purpose of this review is to summarize the beneficial effects of melatonin on NSCs and further to discuss the potential usage of melatonin and its derivatives or analogues in the treatment of CNS neurodegenerative diseases.
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; International Joint Laboratory (SYSU-PolyU HK) of Novel Anti-Dementia Drugs of Guangdong, Guangzhou 510006, China; National and Local United Engineering Lab of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Jiaqi
J
Chu
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; International Joint Laboratory (SYSU-PolyU HK) of Novel Anti-Dementia Drugs of Guangdong, Guangzhou 510006, China; National and Local United Engineering Lab of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Yalin
Y
Tu
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; International Joint Laboratory (SYSU-PolyU HK) of Novel Anti-Dementia Drugs of Guangdong, Guangzhou 510006, China; National and Local United Engineering Lab of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Jingkao
J
Chen
Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, The University of Texas, Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
Dunxian
D
Tan
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
Xingguo
X
Liu
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; International Joint Laboratory (SYSU-PolyU HK) of Novel Anti-Dementia Drugs of Guangdong, Guangzhou 510006, China; National and Local United Engineering Lab of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou 510080, China. Electronic address: pirb@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Rongbiao
R
Pi
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008550:Melatonin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects*
D008550:Melatonin
Differentiation; Melatonin; Neural stem cells; Neurogenesis; Proliferation