MELATONIN AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEAS E IN THE FELINE ORAL CAVITY

Serum-levels of melatonin in cats with chronic inflammatory disease in the oral cavity (n = 47, average age: eight pears) were assessed by m eans of a commercially available ELISA-test and compared to the levels of a control group (n = 39, average age 1,7 years). The melatonin-lev el of the cats with high indices of plaque, gingivitis and calculus wa s 5,02 +/- 1,23 pg/ml, the corresponding level of the control group wa s 7,23 +/- 1,46 pg/ml. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0,04). If future studies are able to rule out interinditidual and a ge-related variances of the feline melatonin-levels as a possible inte rpretation of our results, the present findings may support the hypoth esis, that melatonin has an enhancing influence to the immune-system.