Supplemental use of melatonin to protect against oxidative stress induced by intensive athletic training and competition

Abstract

Ample experimental evidence supports the protective effect of melatonin against oxidative damage and fatigue induced by overload athletic training. This article aims to review recent research on the protective effect and mechanisms of melatonin against oxidative stress induced by intensive training and competition, and to provide theoretical support for its application and future research directions. The mechanism of melatonin action involves around direct scavenger of reactive oxygen species, aggregation in mitochondria, and activating signal pathways by binding to receptors. Mitochondria may be one of the most important targets of melatonin in preventing oxidative stress, histiocytic damage and metabolic disorders induced by intensive training. Given the important role of redox signaling agents in activating different signal transduction systems to elicit adaptive changes to exercise stimuli, a phased short-term mode of melatonin supplementation tailored to athletes’ redox status and training load is recommended.