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Melatonin: The Fountain Of Youth?

Date:
June 23, 2009
Source:
CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange)
Summary:
Melatonin can slow down the effects of aging. Scientists have found that a treatment based on melatonin can delay the first signs of aging in a small mammal.
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Melatonin can slow down the effects of aging. A team at laboratoire Arago in Banyuls sur Mer (CNRS / Université Pierre et Marie Curie) has found that a treatment based on melatonin can delay the first signs of aging in a small mammal.

Better known as the ‘time-keeping' hormone, melatonin is naturally secreted by the body during the night. It is therefore a kind of biological signal for nightfall, allowing an organism to synchronize itself with the day/night rhythm.

At Laboratoire Arago, Elodie Magnanou and her co-workers studied the long-term effects of melatonin on the Greater White-toothed shrew, a small nocturnal insectivorous mammal. Under normal conditions, this animal shows the first signs of aging after reaching 12 months, mainly through the loss of circadian rhythm in its activities. By continuously administering melatonin, starting a little before 12 months, the appearance of these first signs was delayed by at least 3 months, which is a considerable period in relation to the lifespan of this shrew*.

Melatonin is now known to play several beneficial roles. These include being an antioxidant, an anti-depressant, and helping to remediate sleep problems. The next step will be to understand the mode of action of the hormone on aging, so we can perhaps envisage its use on humans.

These results appeared in the journal PLoS One on 15 June 2009.

*The Greater White-toothed shrew has a lifespan of 12 to 18 months in the wild and up to 30 months in captivity. Captivity does not change the time at which signs of aging appear, it simply lengthens life.


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Materials provided by CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange). Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange). "Melatonin: The Fountain Of Youth?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 June 2009. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622064807.htm>.
CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange). (2009, June 23). Melatonin: The Fountain Of Youth?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622064807.htm
CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange). "Melatonin: The Fountain Of Youth?." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622064807.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

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