摘要
Spinal cord injury (SCI) impairs the au-tonomic nervous system and is associated with dysfunc-tion or failure of multiple organs. Rehabilitation after SCI is a complicated process that involves improvement of motor and sensory function and amelioration of com-plications. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that melatonin treatment could protect the neural tissues of the spinal cord from secondary injury after SCI. Melatonin is an indoleamine naturally produced by the pineal gland and other tissues. It can easily cross the blood-brain bar-rier and has been shown to have neuroprotective proper-ties in animal models with neurological injury, such as traumatic brain injury and SCI. We reviewed the potential mechanisms of melatonin treatment reducing SCI-relat-ed complications such as disruption of microcirculation, neurogenic bowel dysfunction, and circadian disorders.
