Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide): what the published research says
PubMed indexes 8 records that name Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.
Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.
This page lists published research relevant to Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide). It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.
A study appearing here is not proof that an interaction exists. Two substances can be named together in a paper that never tested them in combination, and a source listed as background may cover only one of them.
Findings are quoted from each abstract as the authors wrote them. NutriStack has not re-analysed, pooled, or reconciled them, and they may disagree with each other.
NutriStack’s own interaction assessment for this pair is not published here. It has not completed qualified-human clinical review, so it is withheld from search. See the publication gate.
Nothing here is medical advice. Decisions about prescription medication and supplements belong with your prescriber or pharmacist, who can see your full regimen.
The research
8 studies naming Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide).
Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.
Comparative StudyResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.Animal study
“Finally, when hamster pineal glands at night were incubated with either 0, 10 nM, 100 nM, 10 microM, or 100 microM VIP, no changes in any parameter of melatonin synthesis were measured. The results indicate that the hamster pineal gland, unlike that of the rat, may not respond to VIP with an increased melatonin production.”
Names both Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) in its title.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2006 · PMID 16888177
Animal study
“The effects of in vitro VIP administration and those of in ovo pretreatment with PACAP antagonist (PACAP6-38) on the development of the embryonic melatonin (MT) secretion were investigated. With dynamic in vitro bioassay we showed that (1) the development of the circadian MT secretion seems to be unaffected by VIP administrations or by PACAP6-38 pretreatments; (2) exposure of the embryonic chicken pineal gland to VIP induces transitory increase in MT secretion at or before…”
Names both Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) in its title.
“Since alpha-adrenoceptor blocking agents are known to interfere with detumescence of the erect penis, serum levels or administration of this pineal hormone may affect erectile function. This effect of melatonin may be the result of its allosteric interaction with the presynaptic receptors on VIPergic neurons, which are affected by sympathetic transmission, and then an increase in VIP release from these neurons.”
Names both Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) in its title.
“Melatonin also inhibits vasopressin release induced by vasoactive intestinal peptide (EC50=0.4 nM). The inhibition of vasopressin release correlates with the known inhibitory effect of melatonin on spontaneous neuronal activity in SCN.”
Names both Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) in its title.
“Infusions for 7 hr of either VP or VIP, but not oxytocin, caused increased plasma melatonin levels in the middle of the dark period. These observations confirm the role of the PVN in the melatonin rhythm-generating pathway and indicate that both VP and VIP released at the level of the PVN, and probably derived from the SCN, are able to influence peripheral plasma melatonin levels.”
Names both Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) in its title.
“The effect is specific for VIP because with other peptides belonging to the secretin-VIP family the effect was not observed. Results suggest that melatonin, in conjunction with VIP, may directly participate in the regulation of immune function in the human.”
Names both Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) in its title.
“However, at high doses of VIP (either 1, 10 or 100 nM), melatonin exhibited no such effect. The results suggest that human lymphocytes are a target for melatonin and that it may participate, jointly with VIP, in the regulation of immune function.”
Names both Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) in its title.
Journal of neural transmission. General section · 1990 · PMID 2297398
Animal study
“This suggests that VIP acts on melatonin synthesis through its own binding sites. This study demonstrates that melatonin secretion from rat pineal glands may be elicited through a VIPergic system which is independent of the well-known noradrenergic system.”
Names both Melatonin and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) in its title.
Limitations
What this evidence cannot tell you.
Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:
Selection. These records were found by searching PubMed titles and abstracts for both substance names alongside interaction and pharmacokinetic terms. Relevant work that phrases things differently, or is not indexed in PubMed, will be missing.
No effect size. The quoted conclusions are the authors’ words about their own study. We have not extracted effect direction or magnitude, and a single study’s conclusion is not a consensus.
Population mismatch. Findings in healthy volunteers, animals, or a specific patient group may not transfer to you, your dose, or your formulation.
Absence is not safety. Few published studies means the combination is under-studied, which is not the same as established as safe.
Nearby evidence
Other pairs with published research.
Pages covering Melatonin or VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) alongside a different substance.
NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers Melatonin, VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide), and several hundred other substances.
The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.
NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.
