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Extrapineal melatonin and its role in the neuroendocrine regulation of homeostasis

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Abstract

The hormone of melatonin is the main regulator of biological rhythms. It was first found in the pineal gland in 1958. Melatonin is involved in the regulation of many vital physiological processes: maturation and development of genitalias, metabolism of pigments and free radicals, immune response, mood and sleep, and cell proliferation and differentiation. The pineal gland is not the only organ synthesizing melatonin. Extrapineal melatonin is widely dis-tributed in humans and animals. Melatonin-producing cells are found in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, pancreas, adrenal and thyroid glands, thymus, cerebellum, urogenital system, placenta, and other organs. Melatonin is intensely synthesized in non-endocrine cells: mast cells, natural killers, eosinophilic leukocytes, platelets, and endotheliocytes. Such a wide distribution of melatonin reflects its key role as an intercellular neuroendocrine regulator and coordinator of many complex and interrelated biological processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Radiological Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Obninsk

    I. M. Kvetnoii, N. T. Raikhlin, V. V. Yuzhakov & I. E. Ingel'

  2. N. N. Blokhin Russian Oncology Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow

    I. M. Kvetnoii, N. T. Raikhlin, V. V. Yuzhakov & I. E. Ingel'

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  1. I. M. Kvetnoii
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  2. N. T. Raikhlin
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  3. V. V. Yuzhakov
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  4. I. E. Ingel'
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Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 127, No. 4, pp. 364–730, April, 1999

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Kvetnoii, I.M., Raikhlin, N.T., Yuzhakov, V.V. et al. Extrapineal melatonin and its role in the neuroendocrine regulation of homeostasis. Bull Exp Biol Med 127, 329–334 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02433372

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