This review summarized melatonin biosynthesis, availability from natural sources, metabolism, bioavailability, anticancer mechanisms of melatonin, its use in clinical trials, and pharmaceutical formulation.
Clinical trials revealed that melatonin is an effective adjuvant drug to all conventional therapies.
Results showed the involvement of melatonin in different anticancer mechanisms including apoptosis induction, cell proliferation inhibition, reduction in tumor growth and metastases, reduction in the side effects associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, decreasing drug resistance in cancer therapy, and augmentation of the therapeutic effects of conventional anticancer therapies. Epidemiological and experimental studies have documented that melatonin could inhibit different types of cancer in vitro and in vivo. Melatonin is a pleotropic molecule with numerous biological activities.
