Melatonin and Coronary Artery Calcification

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is prevalent in coronary artery disease (CHD), and the extent of CAC predicts cardiovascular risk. The causes of CAC include dysregulated matrix metabolism, epitaxial mineral deposition, inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Melatonin is the main indoleamine produced by the pineal gland; it is known recently to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antioxidant activities. Several studies have shown that melatonin protects against inflammation and apoptosis in vascular calcification. Melatonin also inhibits oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and calcification in endplate chondrocytes. However, no study has evaluated whether melatonin is associated with CAC in patients with coronary atherosclerosis. The investigators planned to research the association between plasma melatonin and coronary artery calcification.