Affiliation:
1. Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Brazil
2. Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Abstract
Summary The pineal gland is responsible for producing a hormone called melatonin (MEL), and is accepted as the gland that regulates reproduction in mammals. Prolactin (PRL) also exhibits reproductive activity in animals in response to photoperiod. It is known that the concentrations of PRL are high in the summer and reduced during winter, the opposite of what is seen with melatonin in these seasons. In placental mammals, both prolactin and melatonin affect implantation, which is considered a critical point of pregnancy, since a successful pregnancy requires the development of a synchronous interaction between the endometrium and blastocyst for placental development. It is also known that PRL levels during pregnancy are essential for the maintenance of pregnancy, because this hormone induces the corpus luteum to produce progesterone, in addition to stimulating blastocyst implantation to maintain pregnancy and form the placenta. However, melatonin levels in plasma have also been shown to increase during pregnancy, peaking at the end of this period, which suggests that this hormone plays an important role in the maintenance of pregnancy. Thus, it is clear that treatment with prolactin or melatonin interferes with the processes responsible for the development and maintenance of pregnancy.
Reference41 articles.
1. Mechanisms of disease;Franklin H;N Engl J Med,1997
2. Pineal melatonin: cell biology of its synthesis and of its physiological interactions;Reiter RJ;Endoc Rev
3. Melatonin and pineal gland;Hissa MN;Rev Elect Pesq Méd,2008
4. Sequential cerebrospinal fluid and plasma sampling in humans: 24-hour melatonin measurements in normal subjects and after peripheral sympathectomy;Bruce J;J Clin Endocrinol Metab,1991
5. Glândula pineal e o metabolismo de carboidratos;Seraphim PM;Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab,2000
Cited by
27 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献