Role of Melatonin and Pineal Peptides in Neuroimmunomodulation

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Morphology

   1. The Pineal Gland of Mammals: Some Open Morphological Questions

      • M. Alvarez-Uría, C. Diaz, J. M. López, J. Tolivia, R. J. Reiter

      Pages 1-13

   2. Demonstration of Nerve Fibers Immunoreactive to Met-Enkephalin, Leu-Enkephalin, and ß-Endorphin in the Bovine Pineal Gland

      • M. Møller, J. D. Mikkelsen, P. Phansuwan-Pujito

      Pages 15-25

   3. Comparative Studies of VIP-, PHI-, and NPY- Immunoreactive Nerve Fibers in the Pineal Gland of the Sheep

      • B. Cozzi, J. D. Mikkelsen, J.-P. Ravault, M. Møller

      Pages 27-33

3. Biochemistry

   1. Pharmacological Regulation of Receptor-Mediated Indoleamine Metabolism in the Mammalian Pineal Glands

      • M. Ebadi, V. Simonneaux, P. Phansuwan-Pujito, P. Govitrapong, L. C. Murrin, D. B. Bylund

      Pages 35-46

   2. Regulation of Melatonin Synthesis and Release:Paracrine Relationships in Mammalian Pineal Gland

      • D. P. Cardinali, R. E. Rosenstein, H. E. Chuluyan, M. I. Vacas

      Pages 47-56

   3. New Aspects Concerning the Regulation of Pineal Indoleamine Metabolism: Implications for Neuroimmunology

      • Russel J. Reiter

      Pages 57-66

   4. The Use of Perifusion Technique in the Research of Pineal Neuroendocrinology. The Role of Different Neurotransmitters in the Regulation of Pineal Melatonin Secretion

      • B. Mess, Z. Rekasi, V. Csernus

      Pages 67-77

   5. Interferon-ɤ Modulates Indoleamine Metabolism in Rat Pineal Gland in Organ Culture

      • Boonsirm Withyachumnarnkul, Russel J. Reiter

      Pages 79-84

4. Melatonin Receptors

   1. High-Affinity Melatonin Receptors in Mammals: Localization, G-Protein Coupling and Signal Transduction

      • Steven M. Reppert, David R. Weaver, Scott A. Rivkees

      Pages 85-95

   2. Melatonin Receptors in Discrete Areas of Rat and Hamster Brain: Modulation by Melatonin, Testosterone and the Photoperiod

      • Nava Zisapel, Yossi Anis, Michal Gavish

      Pages 97-106

   3. Melatonin Binding Sites in the Nervous and Immune Systems

      • S. F. Pang, H. Yuan, Z. H. Yu, X. L. Wang, P. L. Tang, M. Y. C. Yau et al.

      Pages 107-116

   4. 2-[125I] Iodomelatonin Binding in Normal and Neoplastic Tissues

      • Bojidar Stankov, Valeria Lucini, Francesco Scaglione, Bruno Cozzi, Marco Righi, Gianfranco Canti et al.

      Pages 117-125

   5. Melatonin in the Gastrointestinal Tract

      • Peter P. N. Lee, G. X. Hong, S. F. Pang

      Pages 127-136

   6. Biochemical Characteristics of Melatonin Receptors in Different Organs and Translation of Hormonal Signal in the Nucleus

      • S. Persengiev, A. Usheva, L. Kanchev

      Pages 137-145

5. Physiology

   1. Annual Changes in the Daily Pattern of Melatonin Synthesis and Release

      • P. Pévet, B. Vivien-Roels, M. Masson-Pévet

      Pages 147-157

   2. Integration of Environmental Signals by the Pineal Gland and its Significance for Seasonality in Small Mammals

      • S. Steinlechner, A. Stieglitz, T. Ruf, G. Heldmaier, R. J. Reiter

      Pages 159-163

   3. Opioid Involvement in Melatonin Action

      • Franco Fraschini, Francesco Scaglione, Daniele Esposti, Germana Demartini, Valeria Lucini, Bojidar Stankov

      Pages 165-172

   4. Effect of Melatonin on NaDH-Oxidoreductase Activity and Cyclic Nucleotide Levels in Rat Adrenals

      • S. P. Persengiev, B. Atanasov, L. N. Kanchev

      Pages 173-179

   5. Temporal Profile of Superoxide Dismutase Activity in the Pineal Gland and the Liver of Rats

      • J. Cipolla-Neto, R. P. Markus, D. S. P. Abdalla, A. Campa

      Pages 181-184

Research related to the pineal gland has advanced rapidly in the last three decades since the discovery of its most important hormone, melatonin. This indoleamine has been shown to have a large variety of effects in the organism; the bulk of these actions were initially thought to relate the pineal gland to the reproductive and endocrine systems. It is now apparent, however, that the physiologic interactions of the pineal and its hormones far transcend its control of endocrine function. One field of pineal research that has developed rapidly within the last 5 years has been the demonstration of its relationship to the immune system. Since the pineal gland is part of the central nervous system, these observations generally fall in the category of neuroimmunology, an area that, in its own right, has received a great deal of attention in the last decade. Thus, a NATO Advanced Study Course entitled "Role of Melatonin and Pineal Pep tides in Neuroimmunomodulation" was convened in Erice, Sicily, on June 3-9, 1990. This book is a result of the scientific presentations given at the workshop. The contributions to the book include mini-review articles which summarized the presentations of the invited speakers as well as a selected number of brief communications where the subject matter was in line with the theme of the Advanced Study Course.

• attention
• central nervous system
• immune system
• immunology
• nervous system

• University of Milan, Milan, Italy

  Franco Fraschini

• The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA

  Russel J. Reiter

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