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Melatonin in Pregnancy: Effects on Brain Development and CNS Programming Disorders.
Lucas Sagrillo-Fagundes, Eugênia Maria Assunção Salustiano, Philippe Wong Yen
1INRS- Institut Armand Frappier, Université du Québec, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, QC, Canada, H7V 1B7. cathy.vaillancourt@iaf.inrs.ca.
Current Pharmaceutical Design
|December 15, 2015
Summary
Melatonin, a key neuroprotective factor, is vital for fetal brain development during pregnancy. Supplementation may protect against pregnancy disorders and fetal brain injury by reducing oxidative stress.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Obstetrics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Melatonin is a crucial neuroprotective factor with receptors in the fetal brain.
- Maternal melatonin levels rise during pregnancy, supporting fetal brain development and providing the first circadian signal.
- Melatonin also has a protective role in the placenta, but levels decrease in pregnancy disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the protective effects of melatonin during pregnancy.
- To examine melatonin's role in fetal brain development and its potential therapeutic use against fetal brain injury.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on melatonin, pregnancy, and fetal brain development.
- Analysis of melatonin's antioxidant and receptor-mediated neuroprotective mechanisms.
- Examination of clinical approaches using melatonin for pregnancy disorders.
Main Results:
- Maternal melatonin is essential for fetal brain formation and differentiation.
- Decreased melatonin levels in pregnancy disorders are linked to disrupted fetal brain programming.
- Melatonin exhibits significant antioxidant effects, protecting the developing brain from oxidative stress.
Conclusions:
- Melatonin plays a vital protective role in the maternal-fetal environment.
- Its neuroprotective and antioxidant properties make it a promising therapeutic agent for fetal brain injury associated with pregnancy disorders.
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