THE AGING PINEAL-GLAND AND ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

被引:243
作者
REITER, RJ
机构
[1] Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, 78284-7762
关键词
D O I
10.1002/bies.950140307
中图分类号
Q5 [生物化学]; Q7 [分子生物学];
学科分类号
071010 ; 081704 ;
摘要
Melatonin, the chief hormone of the pineal gland, is produced and secreted into the blood in a circadian manner with maximal production always occurring during the dark phase of the light:dark cycle. Whereas the 24h rhythm of melatonin production is very robust in young animals including humans, the cycle deteriorates during ageing. The rhythm of melatonin can be substantially preserved during ageing by restricting the food intake of experimental animals; this same treatment increases the life span of the animals. The exogenous administration of melatonin to non-food restricted animals also reportedly increases their survival. Moreover, melatonin has been shown to have immunoenhancing effects and oncostatic properties. The implication of these studies is that melatonin may have both direct and indirect beneficial effects in delaying ageing processes or it may retard the development of processes (e.g., immunodeficiency and tumor growth) which contribute to a reduced life span.
引用
收藏
页码:169 / 175
页数:7
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