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Melatonin and Gonad Shrinkage
 Melatonin
is a chemical widely used by travelers and shift workers to overcome jetlag and
drowsiness respectively. Till date, it had not shown any apparent side effects, but, if to consider the latest findings made by Japanese and American scientists, then there are some serious issues to worry about.
According to the research papers - now published in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - Melatonin has broader impact on the brain than what was thought earlier.
In experiments conducted in birds, it was found that Melatonin enhances the production of
gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH), which has a major negative impact on another hormone - the
gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) - that plays a crucial role in priming the body for sex.
Further studies have revealed that shutting out gonadotropin releasing hormone in birds had actually resulted in the shrinking of its gonads. This finding is what that has become a real concern for scientists all around the world.
The experiment set up had quail birds raised in different lighting conditions, one under simulated short days, and the other group under light for longer periods of time. As expected, birds raised in short days showed more melatonin production in the brain, and correspondingly they were found to have more
GnIH in their blood.
The opposite was observed in the quails kept under longer periods of light. Finally, it was observed that those birds raised under simulated short days had smaller testicles than the long-day male quails. It is this finding that points to a possible dangerous link between melatonin and testicle shrinking.
In fact, a lot of debates and further studies are going on in this topic, but solid conclusions are yet to make its way into scientific and medical journals. It appears that one may have to wait for some more time to know more about melatonin's effects on humans.
George E. Bentley, a researcher with University of California, however points out that even though the human system is much more complex than a birds', the effect of
melatonin cannot be underplayed based only on that. He believes that it makes more sense to think that the chemical could cause a significant effect on the human reproductive system as well than one could assume at this point of time. He bases his observation based on the fact that humans also have a similar gene as in the Japanese quail for the same hormone.
Bentley further adds melatonin can have a bad influence in other hormone systems as well - as suggested by the presence of
GnIH neurons in the hypothalamus - but those things we don't know in detail at this moment. He also raises his concerns over the free availability of melatonin drugs in the medical stores, which anyone can buy without a prescription.
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