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. 2010 May;46(3):224-8.
doi: 10.3164/jcbn.09-84. Epub 2010 Apr 10.

Scavenging or quenching effect of melanin on superoxide anion and singlet oxygen

Mika Tada  1 , Masahiro Kohno, Yoshimi Niwano
Affiliations

Scavenging or quenching effect of melanin on superoxide anion and singlet oxygen

Mika Tada et al. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2010 May.

Erratum in

  • Erratum.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2010 Nov;47(3):267. Epub 2010 Oct 29. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2010. PMID: 21103037 Free PMC article.

Abstract

Although photoprotective properties of skin melanin have been well documented, a few studies on the effect of melanin on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation have been reported. To study the interaction of melanin with ROS, scavenging or quenching effect of melanin on O(2) (*-) and (1)O(2) was examined by electron spin resonance (ESR)-spin trapping methods and a spectrophotometric method, respectively. Melanin potently interacted with O(2) (*-) generated in a hypoxanthine (HPX)-xanthine oxidase (XOD) reaction, and with (1)O(2) generated from a peroxidase, H(2)O(2), and halide system. In the HPX-XOD reaction, it was proved that melanin doses not interfere with the enzyme reaction. It is confirmed that one of the mechanisms by which melanin protects UV-induced skin damage is likely scavenging or quenching activity against ROS such as O(2) (*-) and (1)O(2).

Keywords: antioxidant; melanin; reactive oxygen species.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Representative ESR spectra of DMPO-OOH obtained from the HPX-XOD reaction, with different concentrations of melanin. Each value represents the mean of duplicate determinations.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Inhibition curb against DMPO-OOH formation obtained from the HPX-XOD reaction with different concentrations of melanin (A), and its linear transformation (B). Each value represents the mean of duplicate determinations.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Double reciprocal plots of formation of DMPO-OOH versus DMPO concentrations at different fixed concentrations of (a) melanin, (b) SOD, and (c) allopurinol.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Singlet oxygen quenching activity of melanin and astaxanthin. Each value represents the mean of duplicate determinations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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