Publication Name	World Journal of Experimental Medicine
Manuscript ID	120754
DOI	10.5493/wjem.120754
Country	Greece

Category	Endocrinology & Metabolism
Manuscript Type	Minireviews
Article Title	Melatonin supplementation, hyperprolactinemia, and incident heart failure: A proposed prolactin-mediated pathway for cardiovascular risk
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Christos Savvidis, Costas Thomopoulos and Ioannis Ilias
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Ioannis Ilias, Director, MD, PhD, Department of Endocrinology, Hippocration General Hospital, No. 63 Evrou Street, Athens 11527, Greece. iiliasmd@yahoo.com
Key Words	Melatonin; Prolactin; Heart failure; Peripartum cardiomyopathy; Hyperprolactinemia; Oxidative stress
Core Tip	A single unpublished conference abstract reported an association between ≥ 1 year of melatonin therapy in adults with insomnia and increased new-onset heart failure, heart failure hospitalization, and all-cause mortality. Confounding by indication (insomnia as an independent cardiovascular risk factor) has not been excluded. We propose a speculative, hypothesis-generating mechanistic pathway involving prolactin (PRL): Melatonin may modulate hypothalamic dopaminergic tone, potentially increasing PRL release. Whether chronic melatonin use sustains hyperprolactinemia is an unconfirmed critical knowledge gap. In susceptible cardiovascular milieus with elevated oxidative stress and systemic inflammation, if sustained hyperprolactinemia occurs, it might theoretically favor PRL cleavage to the cardiotoxic 16-kDa fragment implicated in peripartum cardiomyopathy. This hypothesis requires validation in prospective studies before clinical implications can be drawn.
Citation	Savvidis C, Thomopoulos C, Ilias I. Melatonin supplementation, hyperprolactinemia, and incident heart failure: A proposed prolactin-mediated pathway for cardiovascular risk. World J Exp Med 2026; In press DOI: https://doi.org/10.5493/wjem.120754
PDF	120754-in-press.pdf

Received	2026-03-09 06:45
Peer-Review Started	2026-03-09 06:58
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-04-21 10:03
Return for Revision	2026-04-21 10:03
Revised	2026-04-27 15:49
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-06-10 02:33
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-06-10 03:38
Articles in Press	2026-06-10 03:38
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ISSN	2220-315x (online)
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