Melatonin as a hormone in humans: a history

Yale J Biol Med. 1985 Nov-Dec;58(6):547-52.

Abstract

This article describes the history of melatonin's transformation, in the perception of the biomedical community, from a skin-lightening agent in amphibians to a hormone in mammals, which may also exert important behavioral--and physiological--effects in humans.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • History, 20th Century
  • Humans
  • Light
  • Melatonin / history
  • Melatonin / physiology*
  • Pineal Gland / physiology*
  • Pineal Gland / radiation effects
  • Rats

Substances

  • Melatonin