{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T06:47:21Z","timestamp":1782283641913,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782259200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pharmacol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an indoleamine compound present in both animal and plant kingdoms. Melatonin, a potent antioxidant, is currently produced synthetically, which is often associated with the presence of toxic by-products. This study presents a high-yield alternative by isolating and characterizing pure phytomelatonin (PMT) from underutilized agricultural waste, specifically tomato leaves (\n                    <jats:italic>Solanum lycopersicum<\/jats:italic>\n                    L.). By utilizing a multistep extraction and purification process, a yield of 53.12\u00a0mg of pure phytomelatonin was achieved. The structural elucidation and purity of the isolate were confirmed through multiple analytical techniques, including ultraviolet\u2013visible (UV\u2013VIS) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (\n                    <jats:sup>1<\/jats:sup>\n                    H NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (\n                    <jats:sup>13<\/jats:sup>\n                    C NMR), and liquid chromatography\u2013tandem mass spectrometry (LC\u2013MS\/MS). The plant-derived phytomelatonin exhibited potent ABTS radical scavenging activity with near equivalence to the synthetic standard while also demonstrating strong DPPH radical scavenging activity with comparatively higher efficiency, maintaining &amp;gt;90% inhibition at elevated concentrations. This research validates the isolation of phytomelatonin from tomato leaves, positioning agricultural by-products as a sustainable and bioavailable source of this valuable bioactive molecule. These findings provide a foundation for future functional and exploration of melatonin\u2019s role in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and agricultural industries.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2026.1818804","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T05:55:51Z","timestamp":1782280551000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Isolation, structural elucidation, and antioxidant potential of phytomelatonin from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) leaves"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Kumar","family":"Varshini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, VIT School of Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning (VAIAL), Vellore Institute of Technology","place":["Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Theivasigamani","family":"Parthasarathi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, VIT School of Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning (VAIAL), Vellore Institute of Technology","place":["Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sajb.2023.10.045","article-title":"Melatonin: a promising approach to enhance abiotic stress tolerance in horticultural plants","volume":"164","author":"Ahmad","year":"2024","journal-title":"South Afr. 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