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Melatonin in Mood Disorders and Agomelatine’s Antidepressant Efficacy

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Melatonin and Melatonergic Drugs in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Numerous clinical studies have shown that melatonin is involved in the pathogenesis of mood disorders like major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder or winter depression. Many clinical symptoms seen in depressive patients suggest that disturbances of sleep and circadian rhythms play an important role in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Disturbances of sleep-wake rhythms and circadian rhythms are linked to malfunctioning of SCN-pineal-melatonin axis. As a rhythm regulating factor and as a hormone involved in the physiological regulation of sleep-wake rhythm, melatonin plays an important role in regulating sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances of mood disorders. Melatonin receptors, namely, MT1 and MT2, are found expressed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamic region, an area concerned with the regulation of various circadian rhythms and sleep-wake rhythm. Although pharmacotherapy of mood disorders has long been associated with the modulation of monoaminergic systems of neuronal circuits in different regions of the brain that are involved in the regulation of mood, attention has been paid in recent years for the development of drugs that can shift, reset, and stabilize the circadian rhythms and improve the quality of sleep. In this context agomelatine, a novel antidepressant with MT1/MT2 agonistic and 5-HT2c antagonistic properties, has been introduced. Having proved its efficacy as an effective antidepressant in various animal models of depression, agomelatine has been introduced as an antidepressant for treating patients with major depressive disorders in many European countries and also in the USA. Agomelatine has also been used for treating patients with bipolar disorder, winter depression, and anxiety disorder and has demonstrated its clinical efficacy with rapid onset of action, comparable to other antidepressants like SSRIs and SNRIs. But unlike these drugs, agomelatine does not exhibit adverse side effects like worsening of insomnia or sexual problems, and hence, it is considered as an antidepressant of choice for effective treatment of mood disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sri Sathya Sai Medical Educational and Research Foundation, An International Medical Sciences Research Study Center, Prasanthi Nilayam, 40-Kovai Thirunagar Extn, Goldwins, Coimbatore, TN, 641014, India

    Venkataramanujam Srinivasan MSc, PhD, MAMS

  2. National Health Sevice, Department of Mental Health, Psychiatric Service of Diagnosis and Treatment, Hospital “G. Mazzini”, ASL 4, Teramo, Italy

    Venkataramanujam Srinivasan MSc, PhD, MAMS

  3. Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University “G.D’ Annunzio”, Chieti, 66013, Italy

    Venkataramanujam Srinivasan MSc, PhD, MAMS

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the Department of Internal Medicine, Neurology Section, Mercer University School of Medicine, 655 First Street, Macon, GA, 31201, USA

    Edward C. Lauterbach MD

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Mercer University School of Medicine, 655 First Street, Macon, GA, 31201, USA

    Samuel D. Shillcutt PharmD, PhD

  6. Department of Mental Health, Psychiatric Service of Diagnosis and Treatment, Hospital “G. Mazzini”, Piazza Italia 1, Teramo, 64100, Italy

    Domenico De Berardis MD, PhD

  7. Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Preetha Sharone Kuppuswamy MD

  8. Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, 16150, Malaysia

    Rahimah Zakaria MBBS, MSc, PhD (Physiology)

  9. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, 16150, Malaysia

    Zahiruddin Othman MD, MMed (Psychiatry)

  10. Department of Physiology, Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Parque de Ciencias de la Salud, Avda. del Conocimiento s/n, Armilla, Granada, 18100, Spain

    Dario Acuña-Castroviejo MD, PhD

  11. Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, FI-00300, Helsinki, Finland

    Timo Partonen MD, PhD

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  5. Preetha Sharone Kuppuswamy MD
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  6. Rahimah Zakaria MBBS, MSc, PhD (Physiology)
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  7. Zahiruddin Othman MD, MMed (Psychiatry)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Venkataramanujam Srinivasan MSc, PhD, MAMS .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sri Sathya Sai Medical Educational and Research Foundation, An International Medical Sciences Research Center, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

    V. Srinivasan

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Hebrew-University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

    Amnon Brzezinski

  3. Department of Physiology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey

    Sukru Oter

  4. Department of Psychiatry Behavioral Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia, USA

    Samuel D. Shillcutt

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Srinivasan, V. et al. (2014). Melatonin in Mood Disorders and Agomelatine’s Antidepressant Efficacy. In: Srinivasan, V., Brzezinski, A., Oter, S., Shillcutt, S. (eds) Melatonin and Melatonergic Drugs in Clinical Practice. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-0825-9_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-0825-9_20

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New Delhi

  • Print ISBN: 978-81-322-0824-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-81-322-0825-9

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