JET lag drug melatonin could be used to tackle the pain caused by the side effects of cancer treatments, scientists say.
New research suggests the substances could prevent pain triggered by nerve damage caused by chemotherapy.
Experts from the universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen focused on a common condition known as chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CINP), which affects almost 70 per cent of patients undergoing the treatment.
The condition causes tingling and pain sensation to touch and cold temperatures that can be so severe patients may choose to limit their chemotherapy sessions.
A study using rats showed melatonin given prior to chemotherapy limited the damaging effect on nerve cells and the development of pain symptoms.
However, it did not alleviate pain when CINP had already developed, suggesting its potential benefits could be as prevention rather than a cure.
Melatonin treatment did not interfere with the beneficial anti-cancer effects of chemotherapy in human breast and ovarian cancer cells, researchers found, but it did reduce damage caused by chemotherapy to vital parts of nerve cells known as mitochondria.
Experts say reducing harm to these cell energy centres could hold the key to preventing CINP.
Study co-leader Dr Carole Torsney, of Edinburgh University, said: “These findings are very exciting and suggest that melatonin could prevent CINP by protecting nerve cell mitochondria.
“Our next steps will be to further test this theory by looking at the effect of melatonin in other pain conditions that also involve mitochondrial damage.”
CINP can be so acute that even fastening buttons or walking barefoot can cause debilitating pain, with some patients unable to return to work or to carry out household tasks after their cancer is cured.
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that controls sleeping patterns, although synthetic versions can be produced in the laboratory. It can be used to alleviate sleep disturbance but is not available in the UK without prescription.
Prof Helen Galley, of Aberdeen University, said: “These results are promising, especially as melatonin treatment is known to be safe in other conditions.
“However, more work will need to be done before we know if melatonin will help prevent pain in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.”
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