Melatonin and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy (HDP) is a common pregnancy complication that seriously threatens the safety of mother and baby. The current antihypertensive drugs have safety limitations and often fail to protect placenta well, which shows that we really need new, safer and more effective treatment strategies. In this paper, we use the methods of literature review and content analysis to collect recent research on melatonin and its role in hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy. Oxidative stress plays a very important role in HDP. Endogenous melatonin has the characteristics of antioxidation and vascular protection, and has become a promising supplementary intervention strategy for HDP in recent years. By summarizing and analyzing the effects of melatonin and its mechanism, we hope to provide theoretical basis for the safe and accurate clinical use of melatonin to manage HDP. The current evidence shows that melatonin has potential value for HDP. However, its optimal dosage, correct time and long-term safety have not been confirmed. In addition, melatonin with different curative effects is an area to be explored in the future according to the clinical subtypes and age groups of patients.