2.8.1. Exogenous Melatonin
The pharmacokinetics of exogenous melatonin is influenced by several variables: dose, formulation (slow-release, immediate-release, slow-release with sustained peak), age, hepatic metabolism and time of use. In light of this, studies on the half-life, time-to-peak, and peak values have yielded conflicting results [Gooneratne et al. compared the half-life of slow-release and sustained-peak melatonin at 0.4 mg and 4 mg [A better understanding of the physiology and role of endogenous melatonin will allow the development of preparations capable of mimicking this action and promoting the proper use of this substance in clinical practice. In this work, we used a dose of 3 mg of melatonin, as this is the dose most frequently used by the population.