Abstract
Melatonin has been suggested to play a role during puberty. A recent study showed that daytime serum melatonin levels, measured by GCMS, are significantly higher in prepubertal than pubertal boys. Daytime plasma melatonin levels measured by RIA in 116 children before and during puberty were similar during the different pubertal stages. The mean plasma melatonin, pg/ml±SEM were:
Both plasma and urine melatonin levels showed a circadian rhythm with higher levels at night. To detect a possible difference in night melatonin levels we measured the 24 hour urinary melatonin by RIA in 43 children of various pubertal stages. We found a wide individual variation from 6.4 ng/24 h/m2 to 161.0 ng/24 h/m2 but no significant changes between different pubertal stages (mean± SEM, ng/24 h/m2, for P1 42.1±6.5, P2 49.3±13.6, P3-5 30.5±6.6). Thus, our results are in contradiction with the previously observed change of melatonin levels in boys before and during puberty.
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Lenko, H., Lang, U., Aubert, M. et al. Melatonin in plasma and urine before and during puberty. Pediatr Res 15, 74 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198101000-00021
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198101000-00021
