The Pineal Gland and Its Hormones

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

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2. Pineal Gland Regulation

   1. Expression of Neurotransmitter Receptor Subtypes and Subunits in the Mammalian Pineal Gland

      • M. Møller, P. Phansuwan-Pujito, G. Mick

      Pages 1-11

   2. Transcription Factor ICER: Regulation in the Rat Photoneuroendocrine System

      • Jörg H. Stehle, Nicholas S. Foulkes, Marjan Rikkers, Paul Pevet, Paolo Sassone-Corsi

      Pages 13-20

   3. Intracellular Actions of Melatonin with a Summary of Its Interactions with Reactive Oxygen Species

      • Russel J. Reiter

      Pages 21-32

   4. Physiologial Effects and Biological Activity of Melatonin

      • Paul Pévet, Bruno Pitrosky, Mireille Masson-Pévet, Raymond Kirsch, Bernard Canguilhem, Berthe Vivien-Roels

      Pages 33-47

3. Melatonin Receptors

   1. Brain Melatonin Receptors: Distribution and Physiological Significance

      • Bojidar Stankov, Franco Fraschini

      Pages 49-59

   2. Localization and Physiological Role of Melatonin Receptors in the Visual and Circadian Systems

      • Margarita L. Dubocovich, Diana N. Krause, Stanca Iacob, Susan Benloucif, Monica I. Masana

      Pages 61-74

   3. Melatonin Receptors in Brain and Peripheral Arteries

      • Mohan Viswanathan, Simona Capsoni, Juan M. Saavedra

      Pages 75-81

   4. Melatonin Receptors in Model Systems

      • Peter J. Morgan, Perry Barrett

      Pages 83-94

4. Melatonin in the Circadian System

   1. The Role of the Circadian System in Photoperiodic Time Measurement in Mammals

      • Michael H. Hastings, Elizabeth S. Maywood, Francis J. P. Ebling

      Pages 95-105

   2. Melatonin and the Vertebrate Circadian System: Pharmacological Effects

      • Jennifer R. Redman

      Pages 107-117

   3. Chronobiological Activity of Melatonin: Mediation by Gabaergic Mechanisms

      • D. P. Cardinali, D. A. Golombek, R. E. Rosenstein, B. A. Kanterewicz, M. Fiszman

      Pages 119-130

5. Melatonin Analogs

   1. New Molecules Active at the Melatonin Receptor Level

      • Franco Fraschini, Bojidar Stankov

      Pages 131-138

   2. Development of Melatonin Analogs

      • Philippe Delagrange, Pierre Renard, Daniel Henri Caignard, Béatrice Guardiola-Lemaître

      Pages 139-153

   3. Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology of Melatonin and Its Analogs

      • Francesco Scaglione, Daniele Esposti, Marco Mariani, Germana Demartini, Valeria Lucini, Franco Fraschini

      Pages 155-164

6. Melatonin in Humans

   1. Significance of Melatonin in Humans

      • Josephine Arendt

      Pages 165-171

   2. The Influence of Melatonin on the Human Circadian Clock

      • Alfred J. Lewy, Robert L. Sack, Saeeduddin Ahmed, Vance K. Bauer, Mary L. Blood

      Pages 173-182

   3. Melatonin and Sleep

      • J. David Parkes

      Pages 183-197

   4. Seasonal Affective Disorder, Melatonin and Light

      • Lennart Wetterberg

      Pages 199-208

   5. Melatonin Action on Human Breast Cancer Cells: Involvement of Glutathione Metabolism and the Redox Environment

      • David E. Blask, Sean T. Wilson

      Pages 209-217

This volume contains the written contributions to the proceedings of a workshop related to the pineal gland and its hormones, which was held in Erice, Italy, on June 7 -June 13, 1994. This series of workshops, which began in 1982 and which have been held at four-year intervals since that time, has provided important continuity for advancing the state of knowledge relating to this very important investigative area. The enthusiasm for these conferences has increased steadily, as reflected in the number of individuals applying to attend and in the input of individuals who participate in the meeting. The 1994 meeting was important because of its timeliness. In the two years preceding the meeting a number of revolutionary discoveries were made relative to the actions of the pineal hormone melatonin. The Xenopus melatonin receptor was cloned, melatonin was demonstrated to be a potent antioxidant, the significance of melatonin receptors at the level of pars tuberalis in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis was questioned, a number of melatonin receptor analogues were discovered and successfully utilized, the mechanisms by which melatonin retards initiation and promotion of cancer was further elucidated, the clinical aspects of the pineal gland was re-scrutinized. Reviews relating to each of these subjects, as well as many others, are contained in this proceedings book. This volume represents an up-to-date repository for the most recent information related to this rapidly advancing field.

• cancer
• development
• evolution
• hormone
• neurotransmitter
• research
• diabetes

• University of Milan, Milan, Italy

  Franco Fraschini, Bojidar Stankov

• University of Texas, San Antonio, USA

  Russel J. Reiter

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