Trial reportFrontiers in endocrinology2020
Maternal Serum Melatonin Increases During Pregnancy and Falls Immediately After Delivery Implicating the Placenta as a Major Source of Melatonin.
Trial report in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed.
- Melatonin in Pregnancy-Related Disorders: A Review of Protective Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2026Review
- The placental tryptophan pathway across gestation: implications for pregnancy outcomes.Human reproduction update · 2026Review
- Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and High Consumption of Tryptophan-Rich Foods Show Increased Levels of 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin in Urine.Journal of pregnancy · 2026Article
- Melatonin and Artificial Light: Effects on Maternal and Fetal Health During Pregnancy.Obstetrics and gynecology international · 2026Review
- Melatonin is associated with cell-type-specific inflammatory and oxidative stress responses at the maternal-fetal interface.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Night work during pregnancy and risk of cryptorchidism among male offspring: A Danish nationwide register-based cohort study.Andrology · 2026Article
- Tryptophan's Journey Through Pregnancy: The Role of Serotonin.International journal of tryptophan research : IJTR · 2026Review
- Dual Effect of Melatonin in Fetal Brain: Structural and Cellular Implications in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- Determination of Natural Blood Plasma Melatonin Concentration of Tsigai Ewes Characteristic for Gestation and Early Postpartum Period Between Autumnal Equinox and Winter Solstice.Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- Social disadvantage is associated with impaired increase in salivary diurnal melatonin amplitude throughout pregnancy.Sleep advances : a journal of the Sleep Research Society · 2025Article
- Associations between sleep and circadian rhythm disruption and perinatal anxiety.Npj biological timing and sleep · 2025Review
- Seasonal pattern of preterm birth in the Netherlands: A population-based retrospective cohort study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Consideration of hormonal changes for orthodontic treatment during pregnancy and lactation - a review.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2024Review
- Determination of Rhythmicity and Gestational Stage-Related Distribution of Blood Plasma Melatonin Concentrations in Donkey Mares.Veterinary sciences · 2024Article
- Melatonin in Human Breast Milk and Its Potential Role in Circadian Entrainment: A Nod towards Chrononutrition?Nutrients · 2024Review
- Metabolomic and genetic architecture of gestational diabetes subtypes.Diabetologia · 2024Article
- Melatonin: the placental antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- Melatonin as a Therapy for Preterm Brain Injury: What Is the Evidence?Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Maternal melatonin levels and temporal dietary intake: results from MY-CARE cohort study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Melatonin and Kidney Health: From Fetal Stage to Later Life.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Melatonin is a neuroendocrine hormone which regulates circadian rhythm and is also an antioxidant. The role of melatonin in pregnancy is emerging. The enzymes needed for endogenous synthesis of melatonin have been identified in the placenta, although the contribution to circulating maternal melatonin in normal pregnancy is unclear. This work aimed to determine serum levels of melatonin and its major metabolite 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate (6-OHMS) in normal pregnant women during each trimester of pregnancy, and immediately after delivery. Blood samples were obtained from a cohort of healthy pregnant women during each trimester of pregnancy (n = 26), from women scheduled for elective Cesarean section (CS) before and after delivery (n = 15), along with placental samples, and from healthy non-pregnant women as controls (n = 30). Melatonin and its major metabolite, 6-OHMS, were measured using enzyme immunoassay. Levels of serum melatonin were significantly higher during pregnancy than in non-pregnant women (P = 0.025) and increased throughout pregnancy (P < 0.0001). In women undergoing CS, serum melatonin decreased markedly 24 h after delivery (P = 0.0013). Similar results were seen for serum levels of 6-OHMS, and placental tissue 6-OHMS levels correlated with week of gestation at delivery (p = 0.018). In summary, maternal melatonin production is higher in pregnant than in non-pregnant women, increases significantly during pregnancy with highest levels in the third trimester, and decreases abruptly after delivery. These results suggest that the placenta is a major source of melatonin and supports a physiological role for melatonin in pregnancy.
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