Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 5, 2025

Continuous Video Electroencephalogram during Hypoxia-Ischemia in Neonatal Mice
Published on: June 11, 2020
Circadian Profile of Salivary Melatonin Secretion in Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Łukasz Kapek1,2, Justyna Paprocka3, Marek Kijonka1
1Department of Medical Physics, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice, Poland.
Insights
Salivary melatonin secretion in children with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) was measured. Dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) values from saliva closely matched blood measurements, indicating saliva as a viable alternative for HIE research.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Chronobiology
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a serious neonatal condition.
- Melatonin secretion patterns are crucial for understanding circadian rhythms.
- Accurate measurement of melatonin is vital for HIE research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure salivary melatonin secretion in children with HIE.
- To determine salivary dim light melatonin onsets (DLMOs) using a logit model.
- To compare salivary DLMOs with blood measurements and other estimation methods.
Main Methods:
- Included 9 patients (65-80 months) with HIE.
- Assessed melatonin levels using radioimmunoassay (RIA).
- Estimated diurnal secretion via nonlinear least squares; compared methods using statistical tests.
Main Results:
- Circadian profiles of melatonin secretion showed no statistical difference between calculation methods.
- DLMO parameters derived from blood and saliva samples in HIE children were similar.
Conclusions:
- Saliva is a reliable source for measuring melatonin and determining DLMOs in HIE children.
- Findings support the use of salivary melatonin as a non-invasive biomarker in HIE research.
Purpose:
In the present study, the salivary melatonin secretion in the hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) children was measured. The logit model was fitted to the data to obtain the salivary dim light melatonin onsets (DLMOs), and the results were compared with the values estimated from the classic threshold method with a linear interpolation and those previously published for the blood measurements.
Materials And Methods:
9 patients suffering from HIE aged from 65 to 80 months were included in the study. The melatonin levels were assessed by a radioimmunoassay (RIA). The diurnal melatonin secretion was estimated using a nonlinear least squares method. Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used for the comparisons of the obtained parameters.
Results:
The circadian profiles of the melatonin secretion for both calculation methods do not differ statistically. The DLMO parameters obtained in the blood and saliva samples in children with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy were similar.

