Potential Role of Melatonin as an Adjuvant for Atherosclerotic Carotid Arterial Stenosis

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 26; no. 4; p. 811
• Main Authors: Zhang, Rui, Ni, Leng, Di, Xiao, Ma, Baitao, Niu, Shuai, Rong, Zhihua, Liu, Changwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 04.02.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Atherosclerosis; Calcification; Carotid arteries; Carotid Artery Diseases - complications; carotid artery stenosis; Carotid Stenosis - complications; Carotid Stenosis - drug therapy; Flow velocity; Glucose; Hemorrhage; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hypertension; Inflammation; Ischemia; ischemic stroke; Lipids; Melatonin; Melatonin - pharmacology; Melatonin - therapeutic use; Oxidative stress; Review; Smooth muscle; Stents; Stroke; Thrombosis; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Veins & arteries; atherosclerosis; carotid artery stenosis; melatonin; ischemic stroke
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules26040811

Carotid artery stenosis (CAS) is an atherosclerotic disease characterized by a narrowing of the artery lumen and a high risk of ischemic stroke. Risk factors of atherosclerosis, including smoking, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, aging, and disrupted circadian rhythm, may potentiate atherosclerosis in the carotid artery and further reduce the arterial lumen. Ischemic stroke due to severe CAS and cerebral ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury after the revascularization of CAS also adversely affect clinical outcomes. Melatonin is a pluripotent agent with potent anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and neuroprotective properties. Although there is a shortage of direct clinical evidence demonstrating the benefits of melatonin in CAS patients, previous studies have shown that melatonin may be beneficial for patients with CAS in terms of reducing endothelial damage, stabilizing arterial plaque, mitigating the harm from CAS-related ischemic stroke and cerebral I/R injury, and alleviating the adverse effects of the related risk factors. Additional pre-clinical and clinical are required to confirm this speculation.