Melatonin as a carcinogen?

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Skaven Q. Blight - 03 Dec 2004 19:40 GMT

I have not seen this discussed, and I am curious to hear your
thoughts. I was searching PubMed this morning and saw an abstract in
the "Biochemical Pharmacology" regarding melatonin and possible
carcinogen properties! This is obviously quite frightening as a great
deal of people take melatonin worldwide on a daily basis.

The PubMed link is below, the research is titled, "Oxidative DNA
damage induced by a melatonin metabolite, 6-hydroxymelatonin, via a
unique non-o-quinone type of redox cycle".

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstra
ct&list_uids=15450952

Thoughts? This seems to contradict previous studies that I have seen.

skaven

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William_Noyes - 03 Dec 2004 21:55 GMT

In the context of an excess of copper, it seems.
I suspect the risk is really an excess copper or iron,
rather than melatonin. Also the question is also what
what other compounds would be regenerative
in this redox cycle, lipoic acid?, vitamin C?
An vitro study?
Doesn't frighten me,. Mr. Blighter.

William A. Noyes

> I have not seen this discussed, and I am curious to hear your
> thoughts. I was searching PubMed this morning and saw an abstract in
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> damage induced by a melatonin metabolite, 6-hydroxymelatonin, via a
> unique non-o-quinone type of redox cycle".

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstra
ct&list_uids=15450952

> Thoughts? This seems to contradict previous studies that I have seen.
>
> skaven

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