Abstract
Sepsis represents a major clinical problem in neonatal setting with elevated mortality
rate related to multiple organ failure. Despite decades of research, the exact mechanism
of organ failure in sepsis is still not completely understood. Oxidative stress (OS),
derived from an imbalance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant factors, is involved
in the pathogenesis of several neonatal diseases, including sepsis, and plays a particular
role in systemic organ failure. Recently, it has been recognized that administration
of antioxidants could be useful in septic patients. Among all antioxidants, melatonin
has a characteristic role as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic
agent. In combination with other interventions, melatonin may contribute to an improvement
in septic organ injury. Furthermore, melatonin has already been widely used in treating
various diseases of neonatal population, including asphyxia, respiratory distress,
and sepsis, and no significant toxicity or treatment-related side effects with long-term
melatonin therapy have been reported. This review aims to summarize current knowledge
concerning the potential beneficial role of melatonin in septic neonates, supporting
its short-term adjuvant co-therapy to reduce complications during neonatal sepsis.
Keywords
melatonin - sepsis - newborn - oxidative stress - antioxidant
