Differential Regulation of the 24 Hour Pattern of Serum Melatonin and N-Acetylserotonin

While conducting a series of investigations with the objective of developing a highly specific radioimmunoassay for melatonin (MEL), we developed two assay systems one capable of measuring both MEL and N-acetylserotonin (NAS) activities, the other capable of measuring melatonin specifically. Results of investigations using these assays provided strong evidence that the 2 substances have different 24 hour patterns in serum. We have therefore …