Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences
Melatonin, aging, and COVID-19: Could melatonin be beneficial for COVID-19 treatment in the elderly?
DOI
10.3906/sag-2005-356
Abstract
The aim of this review is to summarize current studies on the relationship between melatonin and aging. Nowadays, age-related diseases come into prominence, and identifying age-related changes and developing proper therapeutic approaches are counted as some of the major issues regarding community health. Melatonin is the main hormone of the pineal gland. Melatonin is known to influence many biological processes in the body, including circadian rhythms, the immune system, and neuroendocrine and cardiovascular functions. Melatonin rhythms also reflect the biological process of aging. Aging is an extremely complex and multifactorial process. Melatonin levels decline considerably with aging and its decline is associated with several age-related diseases. Aging is closely associated with oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Free radical reactions initiated by the mitochondria constitute the inherent aging process. Melatonin plays a pivotal role in preventing age-related oxidative stress. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) fatality rates increase with chronic diseases and age, where melatonin levels decrease. For this reason, melatonin supplementation in elderly could be beneficial in COVID-19 treatment. Therefore, studies on the usage of melatonin in COVID-19 treatment are needed.
Keywords
Aging, apoptosis, COVID-19, immune system, melatonin, oxidative stress
First Page
1504
Last Page
1512
Recommended Citation
ÖZTÜRK, GÜLER; AKBULUT, KAZİME GONCA; and GÜNEY, ŞEVİN
(2020)
"Melatonin, aging, and COVID-19: Could melatonin be beneficial for COVID-19 treatment in the elderly?,"
Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences: Vol. 50:
No.
6, Article 2.
https://doi.org/10.3906/sag-2005-356
Available at:
https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/medical/vol50/iss6/2
