Skip Navigation

European Heart Journal 1999 20(18):1314-1317; doi:10.1053/euhj.1999.1527
Copyright © 1999 by the European Society of Cardiology.
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (33)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sakotnik, A.
Right arrow Articles by Eber, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sakotnik, A.
Right arrow Articles by Eber, B.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Decreased melatonin synthesis in patients with coronary artery disease

A. Sakotnika, P.M. Liebmannb,f1, K. Stoschitzkyc, P. Lercherc, K. Schauensteinb, W. Kleina and B. Ebera

a II Medical Department, General Hospital Wels, Wels
b Department of General and Experimental Pathology, Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Graz
c Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Graz, Austria

revised January 8, 1999; accepted January 15, 1999

Abstract

Aims Decreased night-time plasma levels of melatonin were recently reported in patients with coronary artery disease, and it was postulated that melatonin production may be impaired, due to a lack of synthesizing enzymes. However, since artefacts possibly influencing the release pattern were not taken into account, this interpretation was strongly criticized. We therefore carefully investigated night-time melatonin production in patients with coronary artery disease using an appropriate experimental approach. Furthermore, we examined the effect of beta-blockers, a frequently used drug in coronary artery disease therapy.

Methods and Results Forty-eight male patients with angiographically documented severe coronary artery disease, 24 of them taking beta-blockers daily in therapeutic dosages, were included. Eighteen age-matched men, with no evidence of coronary sclerosis, served as controls. To determine melatonin production, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) was measured radioimmunologically from overnight urine. Urinary aMT6s concentration was significantly decreased in patients, and beta-blocker treatment did not further suppress melatonin production.

Conclusions The data obtained using this investigative approach provide clearcut evidence that melatonin production in patients with coronary artery disease is decreased. Whether a decreased melatonin level may be a predisposing factor for coronary artery disease, or whether the occurrence of coronary artery disease decreases melatonin synthesis remains to be determined.

Key Words: Melatonin, coronary artery disease, antioxidants, atherosclerosis, low density lipoprotein

f1 Correspondence : Dr Peter M. Liebmann, Dept. of General and Experimental Pathology, University of Graz, Heinrichstraße 31, A-8010 Graz, Austria.

References

  1. Reiter RJ. Pineal melatonin: cell biology of its synthesis and of its physiological interactions. Endocrinol Rev. 1991;12:151[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  2. Lewy AJ, Wehr TA, Goodwin FK, Newsome DA, Markey SP. Light suppresses melatonin secretion in humans. Science. 1980;210:1267–1269[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  3. Cowen PJ, Bevan JS, Gosden B, Elliott SA. Treatment with ß-adrenoceptor blockers reduces plasma melatonin concentration. Br J Pharmacol. 1985;19:258–260
  4. Bojkowski CJ, Arendt J. Factors influencing urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, a major melatonin metabolite, in normal human subjects. Clin Endocrinol. 1990;33:435–444[Medline]
  5. Bubenik GA, Pang SF. The role of serotonin and melatonin in gastrointestinal physiology. Ontogeny, regulation of food intake, and mutual serotonin-melatonin feedback. J Pin Res. 1994;16:91–99
  6. Melchiorri D, Reiter RJ, Sewerynek E, Chen LD, Nistico G. Melatonin reduces kainate-induced lipid peroxidation in homogenates of different brain regions. FASEB-J. 1995;9:1205–1210[Abstract]
  7. Bertuglia S, Marchiafava PL, Colantuoni A. Melatonin prevents reperfusion injury in hamster cheek pouch microcirculation. Cardiovasc Res. 1996;31:947–952[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  8. Steinberg D, Parthasarathy S, Carew TE, Khoo JC, Witztum JL. Beyond cholesterol. Modifications of low-density lipoprotein that increase its atherogenicity. N Engl J Med. 1989;320:915–924[Web of Science][Medline]
  9. Juul K, Nielsen LB, Munkholm K, Stender S, Nordestgaard BG. Oxidation of plasma low-density lipoprotein accelerates its accumulation and degradation in the arterial wall in vivo. Circulation. 1996;94:1698–1704[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  10. Steinberg D. Lipoproteins and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Circulation. 1987;76:508–514[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  11. Jialal I, Grundy SM. Effect of combined supplementation with alpha-tocopherol, ascorbate, and beta carotene on low density lipoprotein oxidation. Circulation. 1993;88:3119–3121
  12. Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Ascherio A, Giovannucci E, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease in men. N Engl J Med. 1993;329:1424–1425[Free Full Text]
  13. Brugger P, Marktl W, Herold M. Impaired nocturnal secretion of melatonin in coronary heart disease. Lancet. 1995;345:1408[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  14. Nagtegaal E, Smits M, Swart W, Meer G, Kerkhof G. Melatonin secretion and coronary heart disease. Lancet. 1995;346:1299[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  15. Fernandez B, Malde JL, Montero A, Acuna D. Relationship between adenohypophyseal and steroid hormones and variations in serum and urinary melatonin levels during ovarian cycle. J Steroid Biochem. 1990;35:257–262[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  16. Bojkowski CJ, Arendt J, Shih MC, Markey SP. Melatonin secretion assessed by measuring its metabolite, 6sulfatoxymelatonin. Clin Chem. 1987;33:1343–1348[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  17. Touitou, Y, Bogdan, A, Claustrat, B, Touitou, C, Drugs affecting melatonin secretion in man, Trentini, GPDeGaetani, CPèvet, P, Fundamentals and Clinics in Pineal Research, New York, Raven Press, 1987, 44, 349, 56
  18. Arendt J, Bojkowski C, Franey C, Wright J, Marks V. Immunoassay of 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate in human plasma and urine: abolition of the urinary 24-hour rhythm with atenolol. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1985;60:1166–1173[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  19. Pieri C, Marra M, Gaspar R, Damjanovich S. Melatonin protects LDL from oxidation but does not prevent the apolipoprotein derivatization. Biochem Bioph Res Co. 1996;222:256–260[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  20. Abuja PM, Liebmann PM, Hayn M, Schauenstein K, Esterbauer H. Antioxidant role of melatonin in lipid peroxidation of human LDL. FEBS Lett. 1997;413:289[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  21. Brzezinski A. Melatonin in humans. N Engl J Med. 1997;336:186–195[Free Full Text]
  22. Antolin I, Rodriguez C, Sainz RM. Neurohormone melatonin prevents cell damage: effect on gene expression for antioxidant enzymes. FASEB-J. 1910;10:882–890
  23. Barlow-Walden L, Reiter RJ, Abe M. Melatonin stimulates brain glutathion peroxidase activity. Neurochem Int. 1995;26:497–502[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  24. Pfeffer MA, Pfeffer JM, Lamas GA. Development and prevention of congestive heart failure following myocardial infarction. Circulation. 1993;87:IV120–IV125
  25. Bristow MR. Myocardial beta-adrenergic receptor downregulation in heart failure. Int J Cardiol. 1984;5:648–652[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  26. Hammond HK. Mechanisms of myocardial beta-adrenergic receptor desensitization in heart failure. Circulation. 1993;87:454–463[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  27. Kaye DM, Lambert GW, Lefkovits J, Morris M, Jennings G, Esler MD. Neurochemical evidence of cardiac sympathetic activation and increased central nervous system norepinephrine turnover in severe congestive heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1994;23:570–578[Abstract]
  28. Demitrack MA, Lewy AJ, Reus VI. Pineal-adrenal interactions: the effect of acute pharmacological blockade of nocturnal melatonin secretion. Psychiatry Res. 1990;32:183–189[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  29. Moore DC, Paunier L, Sizonenko PC. Effect of adrenergic stimulation and blockade on melatonin secretion in the human. Prog Brain Res. 1979;52:517–521[Medline]
  30. Rosenthal NE, Sack DA, Jacobsen FM, James SP, Parry BL, Arendt J, Tamarkin L, Wehr TA. Melatonin in seasonal affective disorder and phototherapy. J Neural Transm Suppl. 1986;21:257–267[Medline]

Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Cardiovasc ResHome page
R. J. Reiter and D.-X. Tan
Melatonin: a novel protective agent against oxidative injury of the ischemic/reperfused heart
Cardiovasc Res, April 1, 2003; 58(1): 10 - 19.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Anesth. Analg.Home page
X. Guo, E. Kuzumi, S. C. Charman, and A. Vuylsteke
Perioperative Melatonin Secretion in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Anesth. Analg., May 1, 2002; 94(5): 1085 - 1091.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (33)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sakotnik, A.
Right arrow Articles by Eber, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sakotnik, A.
Right arrow Articles by Eber, B.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?