title: Melatonin and cortisol secretion profile in patients with pineal cyst before and after pineal cyst resection.
abstract: A pineal cyst is a benign affection of the human pineal gland on the borderline between pathology and normality. Only a small percentage of patients present with symptoms and a surgical treatment is indicated in highly selected cases. A melatonin secretion in patients with a pineal cyst before and after a pineal cyst resection has not been studied yet and the effect of surgery on human metabolism is unknown. The present study examined melatonin, cortisol and blood glucose secretion profiles perioperatively in a surgical group of 4 patients. The control group was represented by 3 asymptomatic patients with a pineal cyst. For each patient, 24-h circadian secretion curves of melatonin, cortisol and glycemia were acquired. An analysis of melatonin profiles showed an expected diurnal pattern with the night peak in patients before the surgery and in the control group. In contrast, melatonin levels in patients after the surgery were at their minimum throughout the whole 24-h period. The cortisol secretion was substantially increased in patients after the surgery. Blood glucose sampling showed no statistically significant differences. Clinical results demonstrated statistically significant headache relief measured by Visual Analogue Scale in patients after the surgery. Despite the small number of examined patients, we can conclude that patients with a pineal cyst preserved the physiological secretion of the hormone melatonin while patients who underwent the pineal cyst resection experienced a loss of endogenous pineal melatonin production, which equated with pinealectomy. Surprisingly, cortisol secretion substantially increased in patients after the surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery of 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address: martin.majovsky@uvn.cz.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Májovský
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery of 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Experimental Hypertension, Institute of Physiology, the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Řezáčová
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurohumoral Regulations, Institute of Physiology, the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sumová
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Military University Hospital Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pospíšilová
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery of 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Netuka
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery of 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ondřej
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bradáč
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery of 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vladimír
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Beneš
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001932:Brain Neoplasms; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D003560:Cysts / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008550:Melatonin; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Circadian rhythm; Melatonin; Neuroendocrinology; Neurosurgery; Pineal cyst; Pinealectomy