Effect and mechanism of melatonin's action on the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Melatonin is the major secretory product of the pineal gland and is considered an important natural oncostatic agent. The anticancer activity of melatonin is due to its immunomodulatory, anti-proliferative and antioxidative effects. At present there are no direct data available as to melatonin's possible influence on angiogenesis, which is a major biological mechanism responsible for tumor growth and dissemination. The current study investigated the influence of melatonin on angiogenesis. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured, identified, and purified. Cell growth and viability, DNA fragmentation and cell cycle analyses were determined. To elucidate the mechanism of action of melatonin, Western blot analyses for P53, Bax and Bcl-2 expression were carried out. The results demonstrate the anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing effects of melatonin; these changes were associated with cell cycle arrest, upregulation of P53 and Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2. Taken together, our data showed that melatonin in high concentrations markedly reduces HUVECs proliferation, induces cellular apoptosis, and modulates cell cycle length. P53 and Bax/Bcl-2 expression changes may be involved in these actions of melatonin.