The role of melatonin on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity: A systematic review

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#antibiotics-antineoplastic #antioxidants #cardiotoxicity #doxorubicin #humans

The role of melatonin on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity: A systematic review

Najafi et al., 2020 | Life Sci | Systematic Review

Citation

Najafi Masoud, Hooshangi Shayesteh Mohammad Reza, ... Haghi-Aminjan Hamed. The role of melatonin on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity: A systematic review. Life Sci. 2020-Jan-15;241:117173. doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2019.117173

Abstract

PURPOSE: Doxorubicin, as an effective chemotherapeutic drug, is commonly used for combating various solid and hematological tumors. However, doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity is considered as a serious adverse effect, and it limits the clinical use of this chemotherapeutic drug. The use of melatonin can lead to a decrease in the cardiotoxic effect induced by doxorubicin. The aim of this review was to evaluate the potential role of melatonin in the prevention of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. METHODS: This review was conducted by a full systematic search strategy based on PRISMA guidelines for the identification of relevant literature in the electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus up to January 2019 using search terms in the titles and abstracts. 286 articles were screened in accordance with our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 28 articles were selected in this systematic review. RESULTS: The findings demonstrated that doxorubicin-treated groups had increased mortality, decreased body weight and heart weight, and increased ascites compared to the control groups; the co-administration of melatonin revealed an opposite pattern compared to the doxorubicin-treated groups. Also, this chemotherapeutic agent can lead to biochemical and histopathological changes; as for most of the cases, these alterations were reversed near to normal levels (control groups) by melatonin co-administration. Melatonin exerts these protection effects through mechanisms of anti-oxidant, anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammatory, and mitochondrial function. CONCLUSION: The results of this systematic review indicated that co-administration of melatonin ameliorates the doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

Key Findings

The findings demonstrated that doxorubicin-treated groups had increased mortality, decreased body weight and heart weight, and increased ascites compared to the control groups; the co-administration of melatonin revealed an opposite pattern compared to the doxorubicin-treated groups. Also, this chemotherapeutic agent can lead to biochemical and histopathological changes; as for most of the cases, these alterations were reversed near to normal levels (control groups) by melatonin co-administratio

Outcomes Measured

  • inflammatory markers

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic
  • Antioxidants
  • Cardiotoxicity
  • Doxorubicin
  • Humans
  • Melatonin
  • Neoplasms
  • Prognosis

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: melatonin

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09