Sleep hormone melatonin can treat COVID-19: Study

WASHINGTON DC: The research published in the journal PLOS Biology says that melatonin, which is a sleep-wake regulating hormone, can be a potential aid for COVID-19 patients. Melatonin is used as an over-the-counter sleep aid. The study used novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform to identify possible drugs for COVID-19 repurposing.

Examination of patient data from United States of America (USA) based Cleveland Clinic revealed that melatonin reduced the risk of exposure to novel coronavirus by almost 30 per cent. The researchers said that the percentage improved from 30 to 52 per cent for African-Americans when adjusted for same variables.

Feixiong Cheng, Assistant Staff, Cleveland Clinic, said that the findings do not suggest that people take melatonin without expert supervision. He added that observational studies on a large scale and randomised controlled trials are important to validate the effect of melatonin on COVID-19. This points towards the possibility that a drug, that is already approved to treat respiratory problems, may have some use in treating COVID-19.

The study provides a strong and integrative network medicine strategy to predict disease manifestations associated with COVID-19 and facilitate the search for an effective treatment, he added.