Melatonin, the least thought of ally in the fight against COVID-19

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic The trials that have started around the world are endless in search of effective treatments to fight the disease.

The sudden and unexpected emergence of SARS-CoV-2 around the world has made many of the studied therapeutic drugs approved for treating other diseases, the utility of which against the new virus has been investigated.

In this context, great efforts are being made to develop safe and effective drugs to treat COVID-19: Preventive and therapeutic strategies currently being explored include vaccination, specific antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, new nucleoside analogues and reused drugs.

This is the case with melatonin, the hormone responsible, among other things, for regulating sleep and although it is produced by the body itself, it can also be supplemented artificially.

Now a study published in PLOS biology realize patients who had previously used melatonin were almost 30% less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This was after taking into account variables such as age, race, smoking history, and various illnesses.

“We have identified that the use of melatonin is significantly associated with a 28% reduced likelihood of a positive result in a laboratory test for SARS-CoV-2 confirmed by the transcription polymerase chain reaction test. reverse, “the researchers concluded. this the use of melatonin was associated with a reduced likelihood of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result compared to the use of angiotensin II receptor antagonists or ACE inhibitors angiotensin.

The team found, for example, that proteins associated with respiratory distress syndrome and sepsis, which are two of the leading causes of death in patients with severe COVID-19, were also associated with the proteins that make up SARS -CoV. By making such associations, the researchers identified 34 drugs that are already being used to treat other conditions that could also treat COVID-19. Melatonin was the most promising.

Another study, called “Effectiveness of melatonin in patients in non-intensive care units with COVID-19 pneumonia and sleep disturbance” considered that “the association of sleep disturbance with increased vulnerability to COVID-19 infection is a topic of great clinical importance”. “In patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia admitted to the non-intensive care unit (NICU), several factors, such as the disturbing influence of respiratory distress, medications, increased stress due to the Social isolation and lack of exposure to ambient light can be essential to interrupt the sleep / wake cycle, the researchers analyzed. The potential of melatonin to counter the consequences of COVID-19 infection it has been advocated for its broad effects as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory compound ”.

“Melatonin may be unique in reducing the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection they pointed. It is also a chronobiotic agent effective in reversing the circadian rhythm, altering social isolation, and controlling delirium in severely ill patients. Correctly administered, melatonin can restore the optimal circadian pattern of the sleep-wake cycle and improve the clinical status of pneumonia associated with COVID-19 patients ”.

Consulted by Infobae, Doctor and Doctor of Biological Sciences Daniel Cardinali, who is a senior researcher emeritus at Conicet and professor emeritus at UBA and participated in the study, synthesized this from his point of view, “Melatonin is unique in preventing entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, being a potent anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory agent in the acute phase of disease, helping to counter the cytokine storm, preventing potentiation by comorbidities such as obesity or cardiovascular disease, of recognized utility in delirium in intensive care, prevention of neurological sequelae and improvement of vaccination ”.

“According to clinical reports of COVID-19, severely infected patients are at increased risk of sepsis and cardiac arrest. The available information indicates that the application of melatonin may improve septic shock by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Interestingly, the upregulation of matrix metalloprotease 9 MMP9 (activated during NLRP3 inflammasome) correlated with the cytokine storm linked to COVID-19, and a recent meta-analysis indicates that melatonin may interact with MMP9 in the extracellular matrix of the airways. Patients with SARS -CoV-2 to reduce inflammation during COVID-19 infection, ”they concluded.

They also found that “Melatonin has a preventive effect against kidney damage induced by sepsis, septic cardiomyopathy and liver damage. Melatonin has also been reported to be beneficial in patients with myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease, and hypertensive lung disease. ”

The application of melatonin, according to the researchers, “reduces the use of sedatives and the frequency of pain, restlessness and anxiety and improves the quality of sleep.. Therefore, the rationale for the use of doses of melatonin in COVID-19 focuses not only on alleviating the respiratory disorders induced by the infection, but also on the general improvement and prevention of possible complications, such as cardiac and neurological ”.

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