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Melatonin as a local regulator of human placental function
Author(s) -
Iwasaki Shinya,
Nakazawa Kazumi,
Sakai Jun,
Kometani Kunio,
Iwashita Mitsutoshi,
Yoshimura Yasunori,
Maruyama Tetsuo
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of pineal research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1600-079X
pISSN - 0742-3098
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-079x.2005.00244.x
Subject(s) - melatonin , regulator , function (biology) , biology , medicine , endocrinology , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , gene
Abstract: Melatonin plays a critical role in a variety of mammalian reproductive processes not only acting on the central nervous system but also behaving as a peripheral physiologic regulator. To address the relevance of melatonin to the maintenance of pregnancy at the feto‐maternal interface, we investigated the expression of two types of membrane melatonin receptors, MT 1 and MT 2 , as well as arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase (AA‐NAT) and hydroxyindole‐O‐methyltransferase (HIOMT), the two enzymes required for the conversion of serotonin to melatonin, in the human placenta and the effect of melatonin on the release of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) from cultured human trophoblast cells. RT‐PCR analysis and DNA sequencing revealed that transcripts of MT 1 , MT 2 , AA‐NAT, and HIOMT were present in the first‐trimester human placenta. We also found that melatonin significantly potentiated hCG secretion at optimal concentrations. These results suggest that melatonin may regulate human placental function in a paracrine/autocrine manner, providing evidence for a novel role in human reproduction.