An exclusive review of melatonin effects on mammalian melanocytes and melanoma.

Melatonin influences mammalian coat colour and hair follicle pigmentation and also weakly alters the electrical stimulation of retinal cells in the eyes. A direct melanocytic response to melatonin is still uncertain in mammals and human skin pigmentation. Melatonin acts as a free radical scavenger and thus inhibits the initiation of cancer cell growth. Treatment of melanoma sees perspective features in the administration of melatonin along with known chemotherapeutic molecules to improve the efficacy of conventional cytotoxic agents. Being richly supplied with a variety of receptors, melanocytes and melanoma cells can be used as in vitro test models for pharmacological applications of known and novel drugs.

Therapeutic Benefits of Melatonin against COVID-19.

The assumption of the pineal hormone melatonin as a therapeutic use for COVID-19-affected people seems promising. Its intake has shown significant improvement in the patients' conditions. Higher melatonin titers in children may provide a protective shield against this disease. The hormone melatonin works as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulator, and strategically slows down the cytokine release which is observed in the COVID-19 disease, thereby improving the overall health of afflicted patients. The medical community is expected shortly to use remedial attributes like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antivirals, etc., of melatonin in the successful prevention and cure of COVID-19 morbidity. Thus, the administration of melatonin seems auspicious in the cure and prevention of this COVID-19 fatality. Moreover, melatonin does not seem to reduce the efficiency of approved vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Melatonin increases the production of inflammatory cytokines and Th1 and enhances both humoral and cell-mediated responses. Through the enhanced humoral immunity, melatonin exhibits antiviral activities by suppressing multiple inflammatory products such as IL-6, IL1ß, and tumor necrosis factor α, which are immediately released during lung injury of severe COVID-19. Hence, the novel use of melatonin along with other antivirals as an early treatment option against COVID-19 infection is suggested. Here, we have chalked out the invasion mechanisms and appropriate implications of the latest findings concerned with melatonin against the virus SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, within the setting of a clinical intervention, the promising compounds must go through a series of studies before their recommendation. In the clinical field, this is done in a time-ordered sequence, in line with the phase label affixed to proper protocol of trials: phase I-phase II and the final phase III. Nevertheless, while medical recommendations can only be made on the basis of reassuring evidence, there are still three issues worth considering before implementation: representativeness, validity, and lastly generalizability.

Exploring the mechanisms and impacts of melatonin on fish colouration.

The pineal hormone melatonin is a multi-functional molecule with a recognized role in pigment aggregation in chromatophores, mediating its actions through binding to subtypes of its specific receptors. Since its discovery, melatonin has been known to be responsible for pigment aggregation towards the cell centre in fishes, including their embryos, as an adaptation to reduced light and thus results in pale body colouration. Diversity exists in the sensitivity of melanophores towards melatonin at interspecies, intraspecific levels, seasons, and amongst chromatophores at different regions of the animal body. In most of the fishes, melatonin leads to their skin paling at night. It is indicated that the melatonin receptors have characteristically maintained to show the same aggregating effects in fishes and other vertebrates in the evolutionary hierarchy. However, besides this aggregatory effect, melatonin is also responsible for pigment dispersion in certain fishes. Here is the demand in our review to explore further the nature of the dispersive behaviour of melatonin through the so-called ß-melatonin receptors. It is clear that the pigment translocations in lower vertebrates under the effect of melatonin are mediated through the melatonin receptors coupled with other hormonal receptors as well. Therefore, being richly supplied with a variety of receptors, chromatophores and melanocytes can be used as in vitro test models for pharmacological applications of known and novel drugs. In this review, we present diverse effects of melatonin on chromatophores of fishes in particular with appropriate implications on most of the recent findings.

Emerging Field of Nanotechnology in Environment.

The art of utilizing and manipulating micro materials have been dated back to antient era. With the advancement in technologies, the state-of-art methods of nano technologies and nano sciences has been employed in various sectors including environment, product designing, food industry, pharmaceuticals industries to way out solve standard problem of mankind. Due to rapid industrialization and the alarming levels of pollution there has been an urgent need to address the environmental and energy issues. Environmental sustainability concerns the global climate change and pollution including air, water, soil. The field of nanotechnology has proven to be a promising field where sensing and remediation, have been dramatically advanced by the use of nanomaterials. This emergent science of surface to mass ratio is the principle theorem for manipulating structure at molecular levels. The review sums up all the advancements in the field of nanotechnology and their recent application in the environment. New opportunities and challenges have also been discussed in detail to understand the use of nanotechnology as problem-to-solution ratio. Graphical abstract: Image depicting the application of nanotechnology in environmental concerns. The combinations of technologies like bioremediations, bioaugmentations with state-of-the-art nanotechnology like carbon nanotubes and Nano capsules to answer the environmental challenges of soil quality, and plant productivity.

Evidence for the presence of novel ß-melatonin receptors along with classical α-melatonin receptors in the fish Rasbora daniconius (Ham.).

The effects of melatonin (MT) were examined on the isolated scale melanophores from dorso-lateral (D-L) and band regions of a tropical fish Rasbora daniconius. Our study primarily aimed for further depiction of the signaling receptors involved in MT mediated pigment translocations in the fish. Melanophore Size Index (MSI) was employed as a recording parameter for the responses of melanophores to MT and various antagonists. MT has induced aggregation as well as dispersion in D-L region and aggregation in band region melanophores during summer season. During winter, MT-induced responses were only of aggregatory type in D-L region, while in the band region there was an increase in the sensitivity. The responses of the melanophores to MT were reversible. The aggregation of innervated melanophores induced by MT on the D-L and band regions was partially mediated through the neurotransmitters released under the influence of MT and partially by the specific MT receptors. Luzindole and K185 have completely blocked the aggregatory responses of D-L and band region melanophores. Aggregatory receptors may be of the conventional α-MT type. Dispersion of D-L and band region melanophores induced by MT in the presence of various antagonists and on denervated band region could be the result of activation of ß-MT receptors of dispersive nature. Presence of α and ß MT receptors is thus indicated in this fish melanophores.