Melatonin and its ubiquitous effects on cell function and survival: A review

Abstract

Melatonin, a phylogenic conserved molecule, presents in almost all living organisms and it is believed to be originated to protect the unicellular organisms from oxidative products which were emerged from aerobic respiration. Even with the acquisition of a variety of other functions along evolution, the crucial autocrine, paracrine and endocrine actions of melatonin in the regulation of cell biology were well preserved. The molecular mechanisms involved in the cell cycle that determine survival and death need to be tightly regulated. Changes in these mechanisms can trigger pathologies that compromise the entire balance of the body. In this context, melatonin acts on cellular homeostasis by regulating the main molecular mechanisms that sustain life and control death, such as synthesis and degradation of protein, energy supply and pathways which trigger death to remove the defective cell or any microorganism from the tissues. Thus, this review aims to briefly present the action mechanisms of melatonin, in addition to discussing its fundamental role in cellular processes such as synthesis and degradation of protein, mitochondrial function and cell death control.