Parkinson's disease (PD), a
neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by the selective degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, continuing or permanent deficiency of
dopamine, accretion of an abnormal form of
alpha synuclein in the adjacent neurons, and dysregulation of
ubiquitin proteasomal system, mitochondrial metabolism, permeability and integrity, and cellular apoptosis resulting in rigidity,
bradykinesia,
resting tremor, and postural instability.
Melatonin, an indoleamine produced almost in all the organisms, has anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and
anti-oxidant nature. Experimental studies employing 1-methyl 4-phenyl 1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (
MPTP),
6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA),
methamphetamine,
rotenone, and
maneb and
paraquat models have shown an enormous potential of
melatonin in amelioration of the symptomatic features of PD. Although a few reviews published previously have described the multifaceted efficacy of
melatonin against
MPTP and
6-OHDA rodent models, due to development and validation of the newer models as well as the extensive studies on the usage of
melatonin in entrenched PD models, it is worthwhile to bring up to date note on the usage of
melatonin as a
neuroprotective agent in PD. This article presents an update on the usage and applications of
melatonin in PD models along with incongruous observations. The impending implications in the clinics, success, limitations, and future prospective have also been discussed in this article.