Background

Arsenic is a natural element which exists in the environment in inorganic and organic forms. In humans, the main reason for the toxicity of arsenic is its uptake via water sources. As polluted water and the problems associated with it can be found in many countries. Therefore, considering all these positive effects of melatonin, this review is aimed at melatonin supplementation therapy on arsenic toxicity which seems to be a suitable therapeutic agent to eliminate the adverse effects of arsenic.

Methods and Results

It is seen in previous studies that chronic exposure to arsenic could cause serious dys functions of organs and induce different degrees of toxicities that is one of the first hazardous materials in the classification of substances by the United States Environmental Protection Agency so leads to costly cleanup operations burdening the economy. Arsenic harmfulness degree depends on the bioavailability, chemical form, valence state, detoxification, and metabolism of human body. The oxidative stress has a major role in arsenic-induced toxicity; on the other hand, it was discovered that melatonin is a powerful scavenger for free radical and it’s an extensive-spectrum antioxidant.

Conclusion

Due to its highly lipophilic and small size properties, melatonin accesses all intracellular organs by easily passing via the cell membrane and prevents protein, DNA damage, and lipid peroxidation. In particular, melatonin, by protecting and reducing oxidative stress in mitochondria, can normalize homeostasis and mitochondrial function and ultimately prevent apoptosis and cell death.

中文翻译：

---

褪黑激素：一种多效激素，可作为砷毒性的新型有效治疗候选物

背景

砷是一种天然元素，以无机和有机形式存在于环境中。在人类中，砷毒性的主要原因是其通过水源吸收。由于污染的水和与之相关的问题可以在许多国家找到。因此，考虑到褪黑激素的所有这些积极作用，本综述旨在针对砷毒性进行褪黑激素补充疗法，这似乎是消除砷副作用的合适治疗剂。

方法和结果

在以往的研究中发现，长期接触砷会导致器官严重功能障碍，并诱发不同程度的毒性，这是美国环境保护署物质分类中最先出现的有害物质之一，因此会导致成本高昂的清理工作给经济带来负担。砷的危害程度取决于人体的生物利用度、化学形态、价态、解毒和代谢。氧化应激在砷诱导的毒性中起主要作用；另一方面，人们发现褪黑激素是一种强大的自由基清除剂，是一种广谱抗氧化剂。

结论

由于其高度亲脂性和小尺寸特性，褪黑激素可轻松通过细胞膜进入所有细胞内器官，并防止蛋白质、DNA 损伤和脂质过氧化。特别是，褪黑激素通过保护和减少线粒体中的氧化应激，可以使体内平衡和线粒体功能正常化，并最终防止细胞凋亡和细胞死亡。