Melatonin

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This timely publication describes several newly identified functions of melatonin and discusses the findings in terms of melatonin’s actions on the neuroendocrine axis, the immune system, the gastrointestinal tract, and the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems in organisms ranging from unicellular animals to humans. Containing the most recent experimental data on the receptors which mediate the effects of the pineal hormone melatonin, this volume shows that melatonin receptors are more widely distributed than originally thought and exhibit wide species variations in terms of their distribution and density. In addition, multiple subtypes of melatonin receptors are identified. These findings indicate that melatonin is a ubiquitously-acting molecule which mediates a variety of physiologically important actions.