Evidence mapPaperPMID 42328129Full record

ReviewInternational journal of medical sciences2026

Overcoming Biological Barriers: A Comprehensive Review of Advanced Melatonin Delivery Systems for Therapeutic Applications.

Zhenyu Yang, Yiduo Chen, Shaoying Li, Xiaoyue Lei, Xincheng Wu, Yuan Wang, Shuli Deng

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in International journal of medical sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Zhenyu YangStomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
Yiduo ChenStomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
Shaoying LiStomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
Xiaoyue LeiStomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
Xincheng WuThe State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems & School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China.
Yuan WangStomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
Shuli DengStomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310000, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Melatonin is a pleiotropic hormone with well-documented antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory properties, making it a promising candidate for the treatment of diverse diseases including neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and sleep disturbances. However, its clinical translation has been hampered by several biopharmaceutical limitations, including poor aqueous solubility, extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism, rapid systemic clearance, and low oral bioavailability. Additionally, physiological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier, stratum corneum, and mucosal epithelia restrict its accumulation at target sites. In recent years, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems have emerged as powerful tools to overcome these challenges. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advanced melatonin nanocarriers with a focus on their design principles, formulation strategies, and therapeutic applications. A central theme of this review is the integration of carrier design with biological barrier circumvention and administration routes-elucidating how specific nanocarrier platforms address the shortcomings of conventional immediate- and prolonged-release melatonin formulations through spatial and temporal control over drug distribution. We summarize recent preclinical progress in melatonin nanocarriers for a wide range of disease models, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, myocardial infarction, retinal degeneration and glaucoma, depression, and various cancers, with emphasis on the relationship between administration routes and therapeutic outcomes. Finally, critical challenges in clinical translation are addressed, including large-scale manufacturing, long-term toxicity evaluation, regulatory considerations, and the development of chronotherapy-compatible delivery systems. By integrating insights from materials science, pharmaceutics, and nanomedicine, this review aims to provide a rational framework for the future design and clinical application of melatonin-based nanotherapeutics.

Indexed as

Drug Delivery SystemsMelatoninAnimalsAntioxidantsBlood-Brain BarrierDrug CarriersHumansNanoparticlesNeoplasmsNeurodegenerative DiseasesAntioxidantsDrug CarriersMelatoninblood-brain barrierclinical translationdrug deliverymelatoninnanocarriersnose-to-brain delivery

Identifiers

PMID42328129
PMCPMC13280747

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.