Melatonin as a versatile molecule to design novel multitarget hybrids against neurodegeneration

Written by Eva Ramos, Javier Egea, Cristóbal de los Ríos, José Marco-Contelles & Alejandro Romero

Melatonin is an indoleamine produced mainly in the pineal gland. The natural decline of melatonin levels with aging strongly contributes to the development of neurodegenerative disorders. Pleiotropic actions displayed by melatonin prevent several processes involved in neurodegeneration such as neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity and/or apoptosis. This review focuses on a number of melatonin hybrids resulting from the juxtaposition of tacrine, berberine, tamoxifen, curcumin, N,N-dibenzyl(N-methyl)amine, among others, with potential therapeutic effects for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) was originally discovered as a hormone synthesized mainly in the pineal gland, and is an endogenous and pleiotropic molecule, phylogenetically well preserved [1]....

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