Effects of Melatonin Alone or Associated with Acyclovir on the Suppressive Treatment of Recurrent Genital Herpes: A Prospective, Randomized, and Double-Blind Study
Cristiane Lima Roa,
José Cipolla-Neto,
Russel J. Reiter,
Iara Moreno Linhares,
Ana Paula Lepique,
Lana Maria de Aguiar,
Isadora Braga Seganfredo,
Edson Santos Ferreira-Filho,
Sebastião Freitas de Medeiros,
Edmund Chada Baracat,
José Maria Soares-Júnior
Affiliations
Cristiane Lima Roa
Discipline of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, SP, Brazil
José Cipolla-Neto
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil
Russel J. Reiter
Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Iara Moreno Linhares
Discipline of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, SP, Brazil
Ana Paula Lepique
Biomedical Building IV—Department of Immunology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas—USP, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil
Lana Maria de Aguiar
Discipline of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, SP, Brazil
Isadora Braga Seganfredo
Discipline of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, SP, Brazil
Edson Santos Ferreira-Filho
Discipline of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, SP, Brazil
Sebastião Freitas de Medeiros
Gynecology and Human Reproduction—Instituto Tropical de Medicina Reprodutiva (INTRO), Cuiabá 78043-306, MT, Brazil
Edmund Chada Baracat
Discipline of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, SP, Brazil
José Maria Soares-Júnior
Discipline of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, SP, Brazil
Suppressive therapy of recurrent genital herpes is a challenge, and melatonin may be an alternative. Objective: To evaluate the action of melatonin, acyclovir, or the association of melatonin with acyclovir as a suppressive treatment in women with recurrent genital herpes. Design: The study was prospective, double-blind, and randomized, including 56 patients as follows: (a) The melatonin group received 180 placebo capsules in the ‘day’ container and 180 melatonin 3 mg capsules in the ‘night’ container (n = 19); (b) The acyclovir group received 360 capsules of 400 mg acyclovir twice a day (one capsule during the day and another during the night) (n = 15); (c) the melatonin group received 180 placebo capsules in the ‘day’ container and 180 melatonin 3 mg capsules in the ‘night’ container (n = 22). The length of treatment was six months. The follow-up after treatment was six months. Patients were evaluated before, during, and after treatment through clinical visits, laboratory tests, and the application of four questionnaires (QSF-36, Beck, Epworth, VAS, and LANNS). Results: No statistically significant difference was observed for the depression and sleepiness questionnaires. However, in the Lanns scale for pain, all groups decreased the mean and median values in time (p = 0.001), without differentiation among the groups (p = 0.188). The recurrence rates of genital herpes within 60 days after treatment were 15.8%, 33.3%, and 36.4% in the melatonin, acyclovir, and association of melatonin with acyclovir groups, respectively. Conclusion: Our data suggest that melatonin may be an option for the suppressive treatment of recurrent genital herpes.
