ABSTRACT
In the last few decades, interest in bioactive supplements has increased, especially plant-based bioactive ingredients, which have huge acceptance among people. Melatonin is one such bioactive compound, which is abundantly widespread in animals (unicellular to multicellular). Melatonin plays a major role as a free radical scavenger, enhancing the antioxidant enzymes, regulating mitochondrial potential, and interfering with pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. Due to its versatility in solubility, melatonin can easily access any part of the body or cell organelles, which also enables its crossing through the blood-brain barrier. Melatonin was believed to be an animal-exclusive hormone for a long period. However, later findings have reported the presence of melatonin in different medicinal plants at varying concentrations in their various parts like roots, leaves, seeds, fruits, and stems. Melatonin generated by plants is referred to as phytomelatonin. Furthermore, several studies have reported the beneficial implications of phytomelatonin consumption to human physiology. The purpose of this article is to comprehensively summarize and provide information on the physiological role of melatonin in humans through plant-based food. Thus, given that plant-based melatonin is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and transported into the bloodstream, the consumption of medicinal and plant foods by mammals as a source of melatonin may be perceived as a key step in serum melatonin modulation and, consequently, health promotion. Given the health benefits of phytomelatonin, it also presents itself as a healthy alternative solution to the usage of synthetic melatonin.
