ABSTRACT
The chemical formula of melatonin (Mel) is N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, and it is essentially the secretion of the pineal gland. It is controlled by the circadian rhythm (Jung and Ahmad 2006, Lukaszyk and Reiter 1975, Weaver et al. 1993) and is produced during the dark phase of the daynight cycle by the pineal gland (Fourtillan et al. 2001). Conversely, pineal gland is a conical organ, measuring about 5-8 mm in length and 3-5 mm in width in humans (Junqueira et al. 2006). The location of the pineal gland is at the posterior part of the third ventricle, and it is connected to the diencephalon by a short stalk (Junqueira et al. 2006, Krabbe 1916, Weiss 1988). Pineal organ is an organ that has been discovered early in mammals, and Galen called this organ “conarium” (Rodin and Overall 1967). Today, it is called “glandula pinealis,” “corpus pineal,” “epiphysis cerebri,” or “pineal body” (Reitel 1981, Rodin and Overall 1967, Weiss 1988). Pineal hormone Mel, C13H16N2O2 (molecular weight: 232), is an indoleamine and is a derivative of the essential amino acid tryptophan (Jemima et al. 2011, Lukaszyk and Reiter 1975).
