Melatonin Therapy Improves Cardiac Autonomic Modulation in Pinealectomized Patients

Author(s)

Campos, Luciana Aparecida ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Bueno, Clarissa ^{[4, 5]} ; Barcelos, Isabella P. ^[4] ; Halpern, Bruno ^[6] ; Brito, Leandro C. ^[7] ; Amaral, Fernanda G. ^[8] ; Baltatu, Ovidiu Constantin ^{[1, 2, 9]} ; Cipolla-Neto, Jose ^[4]

Affiliation

^[1] Sao Jose dos Campos Technol Pk, CITE, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Anhembi Morumbi Univ, Laureate Int Univ, Inst Biomed Engn, Sao Jose Dos Campos - Brazil

^[3] Abu Dhabi Univ, Coll Hlth Sci, Abu Dhabi - U Arab Emirates

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Physiol & Biophys, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Hosp Clin, Med Sch, Dept Pediat Neurol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Sch, Hosp Clin, Dept Endocrinol & Metab, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[7] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Phys Educ & Sport, Exercise Hemodynam Lab, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[8] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Physiol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[9] Khalifa Univ, Coll Med & Hlth Sci, Dept Pharmacol & Therapeut, Abu Dhabi - U Arab Emirates

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY; v. 11, APR 30 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The purpose of this investigational study was to assess the effects of melatonin replacement therapy on cardiac autonomic modulation in pinealectomized patients. This was an open-label, single-arm, single-center, proof-of-concept study consisting of a screening period, a 3-month treatment period with melatonin (3 mg/day), and a 6-month washout period. The cardiac autonomic function was determined through heart rate variability (HRV) measures during polysomnography. Pinealectomized patients (n = 5) with confirmed absence of melatonin were included in this study. Melatonin treatment increased vagal-dominated HRV indices including root mean square of the successive R-R interval differences (RMSSD) (39.7 ms, 95% CI 2.0-77.4, p = 0.04), percentage of successive R-R intervals that differ by more than 50 ms (pNN50) (17.1%, 95% CI 9.1-25.1, p = 0.003), absolute power of the high-frequency band (HF power) (1,390 ms(2), 95% CI 511.9-2,267, p = 0.01), and sympathetic HRV indices like standard deviation of normal R-R wave interval (SDNN) (57.6 ms, 95% CI 15.2-100.0, p = 0.02), and absolute power of the low-frequency band (LF power) (4,592 ms(2), 95% CI 895.6-8,288, p = 0.03). These HRV indices returned to pretreatment values when melatonin treatment was discontinued. The HRV entropy-based regularity parameters were not altered in this study, suggesting that there were no significant alterations of the REM-NREM ratios between the time stages of the study. These data show that 3 months of melatonin treatment may induce an improvement in cardiac autonomic modulation in melatonin-non-proficient patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03885258. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50457-0 - Melatonin and the control of energy metabolism: basic, clinical and epidemiological research
• Grantee: José Cipolla Neto
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants