Elsevier

Journal of Functional Foods

Volume 58, July 2019, Pages 189-198
Journal of Functional Foods

Melatonin possesses an anti-influenza potential through its immune modulatory effect

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2019.04.062Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Melatonin exhibits a therapeutic potential in influenza A H1N1 virus infection.

  • Melatonin elicits anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory effects.

  • The induction of IL-10 by melatonin occurs via the upregulation of IL-27 in DC.

  • Melatonin treatment exhibits a synergistic effect with an anti-viral drug.

Abstract

Influenza is an infectious disease caused by an RNA virus that affects birds and mammals. It is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and economic loss worldwide. Under influenza A virus infection, an uncontrolled inflammatory response in the lungs frequently leads to severe pneumonia. The anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory effects of melatonin may provide a beneficial effect for this disease. In this study, we found that melatonin treatment significantly decreases the expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ, and increases the production of IL-10 and TGF-β. The induction of IL-10 by melatonin occurs via the upregulation of IL-27 expression in dendritic cells. Melatonin also significantly inhibits the production of TNF-α in CD8 T cells. Co-treatment of melatonin and ribavirin significantly increases the survival of virus-infected mice compared to ribavirin alone. Our study suggests that melatonin possesses a therapeutic potential in influenza-induced pneumonia as an adjuvant treatment with anti-viral drugs.

Keywords

Melatonin
Influenza A virus
Pneumonia
TNF-α
IL-10
IL-27

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