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Updated: Dec 19, 2025
Human Primary Trophoblast Cell Culture Model to Study the Protective Effects of Melatonin Against Hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced Disruption
Published on: July 30, 2016
Use of Melatonin in Oxidative Stress Related Neonatal Diseases
Gabriella D'Angelo1, Roberto Chimenz2, Russel J Reiter3
1Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Insights
Melatonin may help prevent or reduce oxidative stress-related diseases in newborns. This antioxidant is being studied for its potential to protect preterm infants from conditions like brain injury, sepsis, chronic lung disease, and necrotizing enterocolitis.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Biochemistry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key in perinatal disease pathogenesis.
- Preterm infants face increased oxidative stress due to inflammation, infections, and high oxygen, compounded by high iron levels and weak antioxidant defenses.
- Newborns' vulnerability to oxidative stress suggests melatonin's prophylactic potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate melatonin's role in preventing or mitigating oxidative stress-mediated diseases in newborns.
- To explore melatonin's effectiveness against specific "oxygen radical diseases of the newborn".
Main Methods:
- Review of existing investigations on melatonin's efficacy.
- Assessment of melatonin's properties as a free radical scavenger and its diffusion capabilities.
Main Results:
- Melatonin is an effective direct free-radical scavenger with excellent membrane permeability.
- Multiple studies indicate melatonin's potential in reducing perinatal brain injury, sepsis, chronic lung disease (CLD), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
Conclusions:
- Melatonin's properties support its prophylactic use in newborns to combat oxidative stress.
- Further research is needed to confirm melatonin's benefits during the perinatal period.
Abstract:
Reactive oxygen species have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of perinatal diseases. Exposure to inflammation, infections, or high oxygen concentrations is frequent in preterm infants, who have high free iron levels that enhance toxic radical generation and diminish antioxidant defense. The peculiar susceptibility of newborns to oxidative stress supports the prophylactic use of melatonin in preventing or decreasing oxidative stress-mediated diseases. Melatonin, an effective direct free-radical scavenger, easily diffuses through biological membranes and exerts pleiotropic activity everywhere. Multiple investigations have assessed the effectiveness of melatonin to reduce the "oxygen radical diseases of newborn" including perinatal brain injury, sepsis, chronic lung disease (CLD), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Further studies are still awaited to test melatonin activity during perinatal period.
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