ArticleAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)2021
Melatonin Targets Metabolism in Head and Neck Cancer Cells by Regulating Mitochondrial Structure and Function.
Article in Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
28 citing papers in PubMed, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Experimental Models and Nanotechnology-Based Platforms in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: From Tumor Biology to Translational Applications.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- The Redox Paradox of Natural Supplements in Cancer: A Narrative Review to Guide Clinical Practice.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Melatonin and Selected Phytochemicals: A Promising Combination to Target Altered Metabolism in Cancer.Nutrients · 2026Review
- The significance of mitochondrial DNA changes during the onset and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.Future oncology (London, England) · 2026Review
- Melatonin Overcomes Cancer Multidrug Resistance by Downregulating ABCB1 Expression and Modulating Mitochondrial Function.Journal of pineal research · 2025Article
- Antioxidant Food Supplementation in Cancer: Lessons from Clinical Trials and Insights from Preclinical Studies.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Melatonin: a natural guardian in cancer treatment.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Melatonin in Chemo/Radiation Therapy; Implications for Normal Tissues Sparing and Tumor Suppression: An Updated Review.Current medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Glioblastoma progression is hindered by melatonin-primed mesenchymal stromal cells through dynamic intracellular and extracellular reorganizations.Theranostics · 2025Article
- A bioengineered tumor matrix-based scaffold for the evaluation of melatonin efficacy on head and neck squamous cancer stem cells.Materials today. Bio · 2024Article
- Connecting the dots: investigating the link between environmental, genetic, and epigenetic influences in metabolomic alterations in oral squamous cell carcinoma.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2024Review
- The Relationship between Clock Genes, Sirtuin 1, and Mitochondrial Activity in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer: Effects of Melatonin Treatment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Antioxidant Use after Diagnosis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC): A Systematic Review of Application during Radiotherapy and in Second Primary Cancer Prevention.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Honey: A Promising Therapeutic Supplement for the Prevention and Management of Osteoporosis and Breast Cancer.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Review
- Potential of melatonin to reverse epigenetic aberrations in oral cancer: new findings.EXCLI journal · 2023Review
- Deciphering the Role of Melatonin-Related Signatures in Tumor Immunity and the Prognosis of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2023Article
- The potential influence of melatonin on mitochondrial quality control: a review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Review
- Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming, which is characteristic of cancer cells that rapidly adapt to the hypoxic microenvironment and is crucial for tumor growth and metastasis, is recognized as one of the major mechanisms underlying therapeutic resistance. Mitochondria, which are directly involved in metabolic reprogramming, are used to design novel mitochondria-targeted anticancer agents. Despite being targeted by melatonin, the functional role of mitochondria in melatonin's oncostatic activity remains unclear. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of melatonin in mitochondrial metabolism and its functional consequences in head and neck cancer. We analyzed the effects of melatonin on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines (Cal-27 and SCC-9), which were treated with 100, 500, and 1500 µM of melatonin for 1, 3, and 5 days, and found a connection between a change of metabolism following melatonin treatment and its effects on mitochondria. Our results demonstrate that melatonin induces a shift to an aerobic mitochondrial metabolism that is associated with changes in mitochondrial morphology, function, fusion, and fission in HNSCC. We found that melatonin increases oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and inhibits glycolysis in HNSCC, resulting in increased ROS production, apoptosis, and mitophagy, and decreased cell proliferation. Our findings highlight new molecular pathways involved in melatonin's oncostatic activity, suggesting that it could act as an adjuvant agent in a potential therapy for cancer patients. We also found that high doses of melatonin, such as those used in this study for its cytotoxic impact on HNSCC cells, might lead to additional effects through melatonin receptors.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.