Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología, Subdirección de Investigaciones Clínicas, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Calzada México-Xochimilco 101, San Lorenzo Huipulco, Tlalpan 14370, Mexico City, Mexico
Rosa Estrada-Reyes
Laboratorio de Fitofarmacología, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Calzada México-Xochimilco 101, San Lorenzo Huipulco, Tlalpan 14370, Mexico City, Mexico
Erandis D. Torres-Sanchez
Departamento de Ciencias Médicas y de la Vida, Centro Universitario de la Ciénega, Universidad de Guadalajara, Ocotlán 47810, Jalisco, Mexico
Silvia Carreño-García
Dirección de Investigaciones Epidemiológicas y Psicosociales, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Calzada México-Xochimilco 101, San Lorenzo Huipulco, Tlalpan 14370, Mexico City, Mexico
Genaro Gabriel Ortiz
Departamento de Ciencias Médicas y de la Vida, Centro Universitario de la Ciénega, Universidad de Guadalajara, Ocotlán 47810, Jalisco, Mexico
Gloria Benítez-King
Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología, Subdirección de Investigaciones Clínicas, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Calzada México-Xochimilco 101, San Lorenzo Huipulco, Tlalpan 14370, Mexico City, Mexico
Melatonin, N-acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine, is a hormone that synchronizes the internal environment with the photoperiod. It is synthesized in the pineal gland and greatly depends on the endogenous circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the retina’s exposure to different light intensities. Among its most studied functions are the regulation of the waking-sleep rhythm and body temperature. Furthermore, melatonin has pleiotropic actions, which affect, for instance, the modulation of the immune and the cardiovascular systems, as well as the neuroprotection achieved by scavenging free radicals. Recent research has supported that melatonin contributes to neuronal survival, proliferation, and differentiation, such as dendritogenesis and axogenesis, and its processes are similar to those caused by Nerve Growth Factor, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Neurotrophin-3, and Neurotrophin-4/5. Furthermore, this indolamine has apoptotic and anti-inflammatory actions in specific brain regions akin to those exerted by neurotrophic factors. This review presents evidence suggesting melatonin’s role as a neurotrophic factor, describes the signaling pathways involved in these processes, and, lastly, highlights the therapeutic implications involved.
