Journal of Clinical and Molecular Endocrinology

Melatonin vs. UV Radiation: A Speculation for Future Therapeutics

The era of technological boom has brought with it a concealed gift for mankind. However, unlike the literal aspect of “gift”, this has detrimental effects on the living organisms. Being invisible in nature the UV radiations (UVR) continuously bathe the earth without even concerning the organisms which get exposed until off late there has been extensive research on the possible pathologies it inflicts. UVR potentiates several damaging reactions primarily on the skin which in turn affect the whole body homeostasis. Associated with the triggering of oxidative processes the radiation augments the generation of toxic free radicals, the prime initiator of most diseases. An efficient radical scavenger, melatonin proved to be a boon for delineating UVR induced anomalies. Since melatonin is an integral part of the body of almost all living organisms, the possible sideeffects of utilizing commercial products can be avoided by its clinical use. In several studies all over the world involving both in vivo and in vitro approaches, melatonin undoubtedly provided hope for using it as an UVR preventive. The present short review of literature will further summarize the recent advances in melatonin physiology and its use as an anti-UV molecule.

Author(s):

Soumik Goswami and Chandana Haldar

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