Abstract
Melatonin was initially speculated to be solely synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland. However, such postulation was subsequently impugned by the discovery of hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (HIOMT; EC 2.1.2.4), the enzyme responsible for the methylation of N-acetylserotonin to melatonin, in the retinas and guts of vertebrates (Baker et al. 1965, Cardinali and Rosner, 1972; Quay and Ma, 1976). Thereafter the presence of melatonin was progressively detected in extra-pineal tissues including the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals (Bubenik et al., 77; Reiter et al., 83; Pang and Allen, 86; Mhatre et al., 88). The levels of melatonin detected within the digestive tracts were postulated to be synthesized and secreted locally by intestinal tissues as pinealectomy did not elicit any significant alterations in the levels of melatonin among the alimentary canals (Bubenik 80). Despite the detection of melatonin within gastrointestinal tracts, the function of this indoleamine among the digestive systems remain minimally investigated. In our present study, we shall synopsize some of the previous findings pertaining to melatonin in the gastrointestinal tracts together with the recent detection of iodomelatonin binding sites among jejunal membrane preparations and N-acetyltransferase (NAT; EC 2.3.1.5) activities within the duodenum of quails.
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Lee, P.P.N., Hong, G.X., Pang, S.F. (1991). Melatonin in the Gastrointestinal Tract. In: Fraschini, F., Reiter, R.J. (eds) Role of Melatonin and Pineal Peptides in Neuroimmunomodulation. NATO ASI Series, vol 204. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3756-4_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3756-4_13
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