Title:Melatonin as a Promising Agent for Cancer Treatment: Insights into
its Effects on the Wnt/beta-catenin Signaling Pathway
Volume: 31
Issue: 11
Author(s): Amirhossein Davoodvandi, Reza Asemi, Mehran Sharifi, Russel J. Reiter*, Seyed Amirhassan Matini, Seyyed Mehdi Mirhashemi and Zatollah Asemi*
Affiliation:
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT
Health Long School of Medicine, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences,
Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, I.R. Iran
Keywords:
Melatonin, cancer, signaling, Wnt/β-catenin, cell, chemotherapeutics.
Abstract: In recent years, substantial advances have been made in cancer treatment modalities.
Yet, within the last three decades, neither cancer incidence nor the cancer-induced
mortality rate has changed. Available anti-cancer chemotherapeutics possess remarkably
restricted effectiveness and often have severe adverse effects. Hence, the identification
of novel pharmaceutical agents that do not exhibit these major disadvantages is
imperative. Melatonin, an important endogenous molecule synthesized and secreted by
the pineal gland, is a promising chemical agent that has been comprehensively assessed
over the last decades for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Melatonin is reportedly
a significant inhibitor of cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. The anti--
cancer potential of melatonin is principally mediated by reversing the up-regulated
amounts of different transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein
kinases, and other oncogenic agents. Also, melatonin often has signifcant inhibitory
effects on cancer cell proliferation through either promoting apoptosis or inducing cell cycle
arrest. The current review provides an insight into melatonin-induced effects against
various human cancers with a particular focus on the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling
pathway.