A role of melatonin for occurrence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

A growth in prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is mainly related to continuing exposure of risk factors. COPD is a major and growing global health problem with great economic burden. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of COPD and to develop a new treatment strategy. Recent studies have revealed geroprotectors which could discover new therapeutic possibilities for COPD. Thus, use of melatonin could be an effective approach to treatment of COPD which could prevent the premature aging of the lungs. Melatonin is a neurohormone which regulates the human’s biological rhythm, metabolism, and immuno"neuroendocrine processes. Melatonin is produced mainly at night. At the same time, there is the peak activity of the immune system. One of the important functions of melatonin is its antioxidant activity. Oxidative stress occurs during acute exacerbations of asthma and COPD, whereas leukocyte number, and antioxidant enzymes and melatonin levels decrease. Exogenous melatonin could improve the oxidative stress and dyspnea and cause 1.6"fold reduction in 8"isoprostane concentration in COPD patients. Melatonin could also inhibit ERK phosphorylation and expression of Sp1 and MUC5AC due to inhibition of MAPK signaling pathway phosphorylation. Melatonin could improve sleep quality in COPD patients with concomitant sleep disorders. Furthermore, melatonin does not cause daytime sleepiness and respiratory disorders compared to conventional hypnotics which may worsen nighttime hypoxemia and respiratory failure in severe cases. Obviously, melatonin could be a potential agent for treatment of chronic airway diseases such as asthma and COPD. However, further long"term large"scale studies are needed to develop recommendations for safe use of melatonin in patients with COPD and sleep disorders.

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