Influence of Dexamethasone on Nocturnal Melatonin Production in Healthy Adult Subjects
Journal of Pineal ResearchPublished 1 May 1988
L. Demisch, Klaus Demisch, Thomas Nickélsen
Citations45
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.95
SNIP1.79
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TL;DR
It is suggested that dexamethasone affects nocturnal production of melatonin by means of mechanisms within the pineal gland.
Abstract
There is no conclusive evidence supporting an interaction between the pineal gland and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In this study, 11 healthy adults (six women, five men; aged 18-47 years) received a placebo the first night and 1 mg dexamethasone the next night at either 1800 or 2300 h. Administration of 1 mg of dexamethasone was followed by an attenuation of the nocturnal production of melatonin in 9 of 11 subjects. A significant reduction was found between melatonin plasma levels before and after dexamethasone at 0400 h (P less than 0.01, t test for dependent groups). It is suggested that dexamethasone affects nocturnal production of melatonin by means of mechanisms within the pineal gland.
Keywords
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