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The Effects of Acute Melatonin Supplementation on Cardiovascular Responses to Sympathetic Activation

The Effects of Acute Melatonin Supplementation on Cardiovascular Responses to Sympathetic Activation

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04831398
Enrollment
100
Registered
2021-04-05
Start date
2023-01-01
Completion date
2026-12-01
Last updated
2026-05-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy

Brief summary

the purpose of this experiment is to determine if acute melatonin supplementation alters central and peripheral cardiovascular responses to a cold pressor test at rest and during dynamic exercise.

Detailed description

After IRB approval, experiments will take place in the Human Circulation Research Laboratory in the Department of Health and Exercise on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus. All subjects will complete a total of 3 visits. The first is a screening visit to provide informed consent and to ensure the potential participant meets all inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria. Once consented and enrolled, participants will be familiarized with experimental protocols. On separate days (visits 2 and 3), participants will complete placebo (PLA) and melatonin (MEL) in a randomly ordered, single-blind, counter-balanced design. PLA or MEL treatment will precede testing by 30min to maximize absorption into the circulation (Bartoli, 2013). All experiments (PLA/MEL) will begin with the subject lying supine for 5 min of quiet rest where baseline measurements are taken, followed by activation of the lower body negative pressure (LBNP) device causing suction at -20 mmHg. Following LBNP participants will be given 10 minutes of rest to recover all variables to pre-LBNP values. After which participants will be given a hand grip dynamometer to complete 7 minutes of exercise at an intensity of 20% MVC at a 1s contraction to 2s relaxation cycle paced by a metronome. During the final 2 minutes of the 7 minutes of exercise the LBNP device will be activated again to -20mmHg such that the participant will be completing LBNP during rhythmic grip exercise. After the completion of exercise, the subject will remain supine for 10min. Then the a Total Labile Signal (TLS) procedure will be conducted. Where the experimental limb is occluded using a blood pressure cuff for 5min. The cuff is then rapidly deflated. The lowest oxyhemoglobin measured during the occlusion is recorded. After the TLS procedure, the subject will be de-instrumented and will leave the laboratory.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTmelatonin

A 5mg dose of melatonin spay will be delivered sublingually.

OTHERPlacebo

10 sprays of diluted mint extract. This mimics the sensation and taste of the melatonin spray

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Masking description

Participants will be blinded in two trials. Practitioners and operators will not be allowed to communicate with the participants concerning whether they are receiving placebo/melatonin. Outcome assessors and statisticians may not be blinded to experimental allocation. Our placebo should satisfy two conditions of an ideal placebo: a) it should be indistinguishable from the experimental supplement to blinded participants, and b) it should be physiologically inert. In this study, 1 microliter McCormicks Pure Mint Extract will be mixed with 29 ml of filtered water and given to participants as a sublingual spray. This mixture will be non-caloric and will mimic the taste and sensation of the commercially available melatonin spray that will be used in the study (Onnit Labs Inc., Mint Flavor).

Intervention model description

This study is a single-blind crossover design.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Healthy men and women * Women must be premenopausal with a regular menstrual cycle (26-30 days)

Exclusion criteria

* History of autonomic dysfunction * Cardiovascular diseases * Diabetes * Tobacco/nicotine use * Systolic Pressure \>= 130 mmHg * Diastolic Pressure \>= 85 mmHg * Regular melatonin use \>= 1 use/week * Allergy to melatonin * Cardiometabolic medication use (e.g. anti-hypertensives, insulin-sensitizing, statins) * Sex hormone replacement medical use (e.g. testosterone, estrogen, progesterone) * Pregnancy

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Muscle Tissue Oxygenation7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exerciseConcentrations of Total, Oxy, and deoxyhemoglobin of Flexor Digitorum Profundus muscle of the forearm
Mean Arterial Pressure7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exerciseaverage pressure within the arteries

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Cerebral Oxygenation7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exerciseConcentrations of Total, Oxy, and deoxyhemoglobin of the Prefrontal Cortex of the brain
Heart Rate7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exercisenumber of heart beats per minute
Respiratory Rate7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exercisenumber of breaths per minute
Cardiac Output7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exercisevolume of blood pumped by the heart per minute
Stroke Volume7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exercisevolume of blood pumped by the heart per heart beat
Total peripheral resistance7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exerciseamount of force affecting resistance to blood flow throughout the circulatory system
Heart Rate Variability7 minutes of rest and 7 minutes of exercisemeasure of the variation in time between each heart beat

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJeremy M Kellawan

University of Oklahoma

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 6, 2026