Melatonin: the Weapon Against Oxidative Stress and Nitrosative Stress in Neurovascular Diseases

Muhammad Masood Ahmed, Ji-Yun

Abstract

The multiple lines of evidence demonstrate that melatonin exerts powerful antioxidant actions by preventing and scavenging free radicals in a direct and indirect manner. Importantly, melatonin reduced post-ischemic oxidative/ nitrosative damage to the afflicted neurovascular units and improved the preservation of blood-brain barrier permeability in various brain diseases. The information compiled here will serve as a comprehensive reference for the neurovascular protective actions of melatonin to date, and will hopefully help to design further experimental research and expand melatonin as neurovascular protective agent in neurovascular diseases.