1. Retardation of brain aging by chronic treatment with melatonin.
- Author
-
Bondy SC, Lahiri DK, Perreau VM, Sharman KZ, Campbell A, Zhou J, and Sharman EH
- Subjects
- Aging physiology, Animals, Brain physiopathology, Cytokines metabolism, Gene Expression Regulation drug effects, Gene Expression Regulation physiology, Humans, Inflammation drug therapy, Inflammation etiology, Neurodegenerative Diseases complications, Oxidative Stress drug effects, Aging drug effects, Brain drug effects, Melatonin administration & dosage, Neurodegenerative Diseases drug therapy
- Abstract
Slowing the functional decline in the aging brain is not only relevant to nonpathological senescence but also to a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases. Although disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are not found in the young adult, they gradually manifest with increasing age. AD, in particular, is an increasing major public health concern as the population ages; therapies that delay disease onset will markedly reduce overall disease prevalence. Aging of the brain has been repeatedly associated with cumulative oxidative damage to macromolecules and to abnormal levels of inflammatory activity. Melatonin has attained increasing prominence as a candidate for ameliorating these changes occurring during senescence. Recent research has focused on supplementation with dietary melatonin designed to elucidate the specific key intracellular targets of age-related inflammatory events, and the optimal means of affording protection of these targets. This report summarizes the progress made in this area.
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF