Effect of melatonin on inflammatory response to prolonged exercise

ABSTRACT

We aimed to evaluate the effect of single 6-mg melatonin (MEL) supplementation on inflammatory response to prolonged exercise at a moderate temperature (23°C) and a relative humidity of 60%. Eight athletes aged between 20 and 23 years participated in the present study. They ran at 60% of their maximal aerobic speed for 45 min after either MEL (6 mg) or placebo ingestion, in a randomized order. A blood samples were taken before and after exercise to measure inflammatory biomarkers. All inflammatory biomarkers were higher at the end of exercise in both conditions. Acute MEL supplementation did not prevent the exercise-induced inflammation and tissue damage.

KEYWORDS:

• Melatonin
• exercise
• inflammation

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to particularly thank Mr. Taieb Messaoud and Mr. Ghayeth Aloui for their invaluable help. The authors would also like to thank the participants who volunteered in this study. We are thankful to Mr. Noureddine Souissi for his technical assistance.

Disclosure statement

This study was supported by the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Children's Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia. The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest. The authors are solely responsible for the content and writing of this article.