Melatonin supplementation improves rheumatological disease activity: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Melatonin is a pineal hormone with a complex role. It is linked to sleep, inflammatory, oxidative, and immunological processes.

Aim: To review the use of melatonin supplementation in rheumatological diseases.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Scielo databases was performed, looking for articles on Melatonin and rheumatic diseases published between 1966 and August 2022.

Results: Thirteen articles were identified: in fibromyalgia (n = 5 articles), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 2), systemic sclerosis (n = 1), systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 1) and osteoporosis/osteopenia (n = 3) and osteoarthritis (n = 1). There were positive results of melatonin administration in fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis/osteopenia but not in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The drug was well tolerated with mild side effects.

Conclusion: This review shows the efficacy of Melatonin in some rheumatic diseases. However, new studies are needed to elucidate the real role of this treatment in rheumatology.

Keywords: Fibromyalgia; Hormone; Melatonin; Osteoporosis; Rheumatic diseases; Rheumatoid arthritis; Supplementation; Systemic lupus erythematosus.