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Potentiation of Anticancer Antibody Efficacy by Antineoplastic Drugs: Detection of Antibody-drug Synergism Using the Combination Index Equation
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Melatonin combined with antineoplastic drugs or natural products for cancer treatment: An update

Cristina Trejo-Solís1, Irma Susana Rojas-Tomé2, Helgi Jung-Cook3

  • 1Experimental Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery "Manuel Velasco Suárez", Mexico City, 14269, Mexico.

Current Research in Pharmacology and Drug Discovery
|December 4, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Melatonin combined with anticancer drugs shows synergistic antitumor effects across various cancers. This review highlights recent advances in using melatonin for novel cancer treatment strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Drug resistance, reduced efficacy, and side effects are challenges in cancer therapy.
  • Melatonin, an endogenous indoleamine, exhibits anticancer properties including antiproliferative, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities.
  • Combining melatonin with conventional anticancer agents is a promising strategy to overcome therapeutic limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent (2018-2024) research on the anticancer activity of melatonin in combination with synthetic drugs and natural products.
  • To synthesize evidence on the synergistic antitumor effects of melatonin-based combination therapies.
  • To explore the potential of melatonin combinations for developing novel cancer treatment approaches.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and Scopus.
  • Inclusion of studies published between 2018 and 2024 focusing on melatonin combination therapies for cancer.
  • Analysis of 47 retrieved papers reporting on synergistic antitumor effects.

Main Results:

  • Melatonin in combination with various drugs demonstrated synergistic antitumor effects in multiple cancer types.
  • Effective combinations were observed in breast, colorectal, prostate, gastric, thyroid, and pancreatic cancers.
  • Synergistic effects were also noted in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and glioblastoma.

Conclusions:

  • The combination of melatonin with anticancer drugs significantly enhances antitumor activity.
  • Recent evidence supports melatonin's role in overcoming drug resistance and improving cancer treatment efficacy.
  • Further preclinical and clinical trials are warranted to evaluate novel melatonin-based combination therapies for cancer treatment.
Keywords:
Antitumor effectApoptosisAutophagyCancer cellsChemo-sensitizing effectCombined treatmentCytotoxicityMelatoninMolecular targetsSignaling pathwaysSynergism

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