Cardioprotection and effects of melatonin administration on cardiac ischemia reperfusion: Insight from clinical studies.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Many treatments have been identified that confer robust cardioprotection in experimental animal models of acute ischemia and reperfusion injury. However, translation of these cardioprotective therapies into the clinical setting of AMI for patient benefit has been disappointing. Many cardioprotective strategies act through common end-effectors and may be suboptimal in patients with comorbidities. Melatonin is a pleiotropic molecule with several functions. Its potential to protect the heart against ischemia/reperfusion damage has attracted much attention, particularly in view of its possible clinical applications. In this brief overview, we discuss the possible clinical application of melatonin in human.