Abstract
Recently, the neurohormone melatonin was found to be a potent endogenous hydroxyl radical scavenger. Since the activation of an important transcriptional regulator, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) involves free radicals as second messengers, we investigated whether melatonin alters NF-κB expression if present during treatment of HeLa S3 cells with known activators. The results show that upon treatment of HeLa S3 cells with tumor necrosis factor-α or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, or with ionizing radiation, there is a profound induction of NF-κB binding activity. If present at the time of treatment, exogenously added melatonin, at a concentration as low as 10 μM, was found to inhibit the activation of NF-κB by these agents. This result leads to the hypothesis that melatonin can play a role in many physiological functions through its modulation of NF-κB (and possibly other) transcriptional regulators.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1063-1070 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology International |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 6 |
State | Published - Dec 1 1995 |
Keywords
- Hela S3 cells
- Ionizing radiation
- Melatonin
- NF-κB
- Transcription factor
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics