ROLE OF MELATONIN DEFICIENCY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCOLIOSIS IN PINEALECTOMISED CHICKENS

We studied the possible role of melatonin deficiency in experimentally -induced scoliosis. A total of 90 chickens underwent pinealectomy on t he third day after hatching: 30 were treated with serotonin, 30 with m elatonin and 30 received no therapy (control group). Scoliosis develop ed in all the control group, in 22 of the serotonin group, and in only 6 of the melatonin group, The six melatonin-treated chickens with sco liosis had less severe spinal deformities than those in the serotonin- treated group. There were lower blood melatonin concentrations in chic kens with scoliosis than in those without. Our findings suggest that m elatonin deficiency contributes to the aetiology of this experimental scoliosis, probably by interfering with the normally symmetrical growt h of the proprioceptive system involving the paraspinal muscles and th e spine.