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NH
2
CH
3
OH
CH
3
H
3
C
N
HO
N
C
C
H
2
CH
3
H
2
C
H
CH
2
HO
O
Epinephrine
CH
3
OH
O
OH
H
N
Acetylcholine
Dopamine
OH
NH
2
C
H
2
C
OH
O
O
Indole-3-acetic acid
C
H
2
N
O
OH
γ-aminobutyric acid
N
OH
H
C
CH
3
O
H
N
H
3
C
H
2
C
OH
O
Levodopa
Melatonin
Fig. 10.1.
Neurotransmitters found in a wide range of plants
geriatric insomnia, jet lag, epilepsy, seasonal affective disorder, pain, gastric
ulcers, cancer, body temperature irregularities, migraine and depression
(Yu and Reiter 1993). The function of reproductive systems in photoperi-
odically dependent rodents is largely controlled by the release of melatonin
from the pineal gland (Wurtman et al. 1963; Reiter 1991). In addition,
melatonin is an effective free-radical scavenger and antioxidant (Reiter et
al. 1997).
Melatonin was first described in nutritional studies of fruits and vegeta-
bles to determine if ingested melatonin could play a role in human health
(Dubbels et al. 1995; Hattori et al. 1995). Low quantities of plant melatonin
werefoundinfoodstuffsandmelatoninisabsorbedandactiveinanimal
model systems (Hattori et al. 1995). In 1997, significantly higher concen-
trations of melatonin were detected in medicinal plants with traditional
and anecdotal evidence of efficacy as treatments for human neurologi-
cal ailments (Murch et al. 1997). The discovery of melatonin in medicinal
plants was interesting from several perspectives. It was the first report of
melatonin in growing higher plants. The neurotransmitter was present in
a broad range of plant species from different genera, different countries
and different types of ecosystems. Neurotransmitters could impact both
plant and human physiology. More recent studies have shown melatonin in
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