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Biophysical Studies of Melanin

Paramagnetic, Ion-Exchange and Redox Properties of Melanin Pigments and Their Photoreactivity

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Biomedical EPR, Part A: Free Radicals, Metals, Medicine, and Physiology

Part of the book series: Biological Magnetic Resonance ((BIMR,volume 23))

Abstract

Melanin is a ubiquitous biological pigment with unusual physicochemical properties. This paper emphasizes selected aspects of melanin research in which significant contributions have been made thanks to the application of EPR spectroscopy. A historical overview of the last 25 years of EPR studies of melanin is given. These studies have led to development of the concept of melanin being a.natural antioxidant that can protect pigment cells from oxidative stress by sequestration of redox-active metal ions, quenching of electronically excited states of photosensitizing dye molecules and singlet oxygen, and by scavenging of reactive free radicals. The paper also briefly reviews results of recent melanin studies that employed alternative techniques such as transient optical spectroscopy with femtosecond time resolution, photoacoustic calorimetry and scanning electron and atomic force microscopies. It is concluded that time-domain EPR and very high frequency EPR spectroscopy are expected to be powerful tools for studying the photodynamics and structure of melanin free radicals and their interactions with the environment and physicochemical agents.

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  1. Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

    Tadeusz Sarna & Przemyslaw M. Plonka

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  1. Tadeusz Sarna
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  1. University of Denver, Denver, Colorado

    Sandra R. Eaton , Gareth R. Eaton  & Lawrence J. Berliner ,  & 

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Sarna, T., Plonka, P.M. (2005). Biophysical Studies of Melanin. In: Eaton, S.R., Eaton, G.R., Berliner, L.J. (eds) Biomedical EPR, Part A: Free Radicals, Metals, Medicine, and Physiology. Biological Magnetic Resonance, vol 23. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-26741-7_7

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