Abstract
Melatonin is a ubiquitous indolamine, largely investigated for its key role in the regulation of several physiological processes in both animals and plants. In the last century, it was reported that this molecule may be produced in high concentrations by several species belonging to the plant kingdom and stored in specialized tissues. In this review, the main information related to the chemistry of melatonin and its metabolism has been summarized. Furthermore, the biosynthetic pathway characteristics of animal and plant cells have been compared, and the main differences between the two systems highlighted. Additionally, in order to investigate the distribution of this indolamine in the plant kingdom, distribution cluster analysis was performed using a database composed by 47 previously published articles reporting the content of melatonin in different plant families, species and tissues. Finally, the potential pharmacological and biostimulant benefits derived from the administration of exogenous melatonin on animals or plants via the intake of dietary supplements or the application of biostimulant formulation have been largely discussed.
Highlights
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytriptamine) is an indolamine originally discovered in 1958 in extracts from bovine pineal gland, but this compound was first isolated and identified as a small molecule with a molecular weight of 232 Daltons in 1960 by Lerner [1].The name was initially related to its ability to aggregate pigment granules in the chromatophores of frog and fish skin
For more than 30 years, it was assumed that melatonin was exclusively produced in the pineal gland of animals, in which the indolamine acts as a neurohormone; nowadays it is known that melatonin is produced by several organisms belonging the Eukarya and Bacteria domains, whereas no information has been found for Archea
14C-tryptophan was added in culture medium, suggesting that it was produced from tryptophan by a tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH)-like enzyme [108]; (iii) the soluble fraction of rice root extracts exhibited a tetrahydropterin-dependent amino acid hydroxylase activity, similar to TPH [109]; (iv) Park scientific evidences support the presence of TPH-like enzymes in plants
Summary
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytriptamine) is an indolamine originally discovered in 1958 in extracts from bovine pineal gland, but this compound was first isolated and identified as a small molecule with a molecular weight of 232 Daltons in 1960 by Lerner [1]. Melatonin is rhythmically secreted by the pineal gland after photo stimulation caused by dark or light-suppression [14] and it regulates the sleep–wake cycl of 39 and other seasonal rhythms In these animals, the nocturnal melatonin peak2also control the reproductive capability [15]. It regulates the sleep–wake cycle and radical scavenging properties [18], melatonin interacts with the immune system and other seasonal rhythms In these animals, the nocturnal melatonin peak controls of mammals acting as an immunostimulatory [19] and anti-inflammatory molecule [14]. Cation exogenous melatonin as a plant biostimulant or supplement for human use will be investigated
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