• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.444-449
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to measure the hair melanins of various colors and to find the relationship between the quantity of melanins and hair color phenotypes in alpacas. According to the Munsell color system, 3 healthy alpacas were selected for each of the 22 different hair color phenotypes (66 alpacas altogether). Alpaca hair was taken from the lateral thoracic region and then dissolved with different solutions to obtain melanins. The values of alkali-soluble melanins (ASM), eumelanin (EM) and pheomelanin (PM) were measured by spectrophotometric assay, and labeled as Sp.ASM, Sp.EM and Sp.PM, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS11.5 software. Results showed that average Sp.ASM and Sp.PM were increased as the color deepened from white to black, ranging from 0.500 to 4.543 for Sp.ASM and from 0.268 to 1.457 for Sp.EM. However, average Sp.PM had no such apparent relationship with color. Based on the value of Sp.ASM and EM, 7 hues were produced and gray was a single hue. Most of the data were in a normal distribution (p>0.10). ANOVA analysis showed that mean values of Sp.ASM, Sp.EM and Sp.PM were significantly different (p<0.05). The results also showed that Sp.ASM was positively correlated with Sp.EM but the correlation between Sp.ASM and Sp.PM was not significantly different from 0. It is concluded that EM is the major constituent of alpaca hair melanin; there is a significant correlation among ASM, EM and alpaca hair colors, and EM is the most reliable parameter for distinguishing these groups.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.135-140
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• 2009

Melanins in cell walls of mushroom are known to related with fruiting body color. Fruiting body color in oyster mushrooms is various and is very important characteristic for new cultivars. Recently, several cultivars have been breeded with various fruiting body color, for example yellow, pink, white in Korea. Recent research trend of fungal melanins and fruiting body color of mushroom will be introduced.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.41-50
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• 2000

- Biochemical studies show that in the process of mixed melanogenesis, cysteinyldopas are produced first which are next oxidized to give pheomelanin. After all of the cysteine is consumed, eumelanin is then deposited on the preformed pheomelanin. - In vitro and in vivo studies show that tyrosinase activity is the most important factor that regulates the switch of melanogenesis, with higher activities increasing melanogenesis, especially eumelanogenesis. - In culturted melanocytes, the tyrosine to cysteine ratio is critical in determining the eumelanin to pheomelanin ratio. - Our HPLC method to analyze eumelanin and pheomelanin has become a useful tool in the study of melanogenesis regulation. There are many problems to be solved before we fully understand the regulation of melanogenesis. Mutations in mouse models are ideal models for studying the genetic and molecular control of melanogenesis. Even in the mouse models, it is not known how cysteine is excluded from being incorporated into melanins in black and other eumelaninc mice, Conversely, it is not known how cysteine is continuously incorporated into pheomelanin in lethal yellow and recessive yellow mice.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.81-85
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• 2018

In this study, the chemical composition of bacterial melanin isolated from the Streptomyces glaucescens strain was elucidated by ultra-high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry. Ultra-high-resolution mass profiles of the microbial melanin product were acquired using a 15 Tesla FT-ICR mass spectrometer in positive and negative ion modes via electrospray ionization to obtain more complete descriptions of the molecular compositions of melanin-derived organic constituents. A mass resolving power of 500,000 (at m/z 400) was achieved for all spectra while collecting 400 scans per sample with a 4 M transient. The results of this analysis revealed that the melanin pigment isolated from S. glaucescens predominantly exhibits CHON and CHO species, which belong to the proteins class of compounds, with the mean C/O and C/N ratios of 4.3 and 13.1, thus suggesting that the melanin could be eumelanin. This analytical approach could be utilized to investigate the molecular compositions of a variety of natural or synthetic melanins. The compositional features of melanins are important for understanding their formation mechanisms and physico-chemical properties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.113-113
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• 2001

Dopamine, a principal neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, accounts for 90% of total catecholamines. It serves as a precursor of certain hormones, melanins, noradrenalin and adrenalin. Parkinsonian disease (PD) is characterized by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and a significant dimunution in the neostriatal content of dopamine and its metabolites.(omitted)

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.213-216
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• 2002

Skin pigmentation, also known as complexion coloration, results from the biosynthesis of melanin within the melanocytes of the Stratum basalum and the subsequent transfer, translocation, and degradation of this pigment to, in, and by the neighboring keratinocytes respectively, Melanins are produced and retained in melanosomes synthesized in the cell body that are translocated along the dendrites using microtubules via motor proteins. Melanosomes are eventually captured and retained at the tips of dendrites by attachment to the peripherally localized actin. Melanosomes reaching the dendritic tips are transferred to keratinocytes, primarily via phagocytosis of released melanosomes by keratinocytes. Molecules responsible for cell/cell recognition and interaction that regulate transfer are being identified. Some of these putative mediators appear to be affected by ultraviolet radiation. After the keratinocytes receive melanosomes, the granules are distributed individually or as clusters in dark versus light skin respectively. These melanosomes are then aggregated over the nucleus for photoprotection ofkeratinocyte DNA and eventually degraded.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.277-281
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• 2005

This study was carried out to investigate the antioxidant effects of melanin extracts, including silkie fowl skin melanin (SS-melanin), silkie fowl comb melanin (SC-melanin), sepia ink sac melanin (SE-melanin), octopus ink sac melanin (OC-melanin) and synthetic melanin (SY-melanin). The results showed that with the addition of melanin extracts, linoleic acid peroxide significantly, decreased (p<0.05) with the increase in the irradiative time of UV and that OC-melanin had the highest efficiency on antioxidant activity (p<0.05). Melanin extract had reducing power and chelating power to $Fe^{2+}$, which increased with the increase in the different melanin concentration. Therefore, it could be concluded that the antioxidant action of melanin extracts did not come from one single function, but is a result of many characteristic functions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1571-1578
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• 2013

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Recently, the demand for more effective and safer therapeutic agents for the chemoprevention of human cancer has increased. As a white rot fungus, Inonotus obliquus is valued as an edible and medicinal resource. Chemical investigations have shown that I. obliquus produces a diverse range of secondary metabolites, including phenolic compounds, melanins, and lanostane-type triterpenoids. Among these are active components for antioxidant, antitumoral, and antiviral activities and for improving human immunity against infection of pathogenic microbes. Importantly, their anticancer activities have become a hot recently, but with relatively little knowledge of their modes of action. Some compounds extracted from I. obliquus arrest cancer cells in the G0/G1 phase and then induce cell apoptosis or differentiation, whereas some examples directly participate in the cell apoptosis pathway. In other cases, polysaccharides from I. obliquus can indirectly be involved in anticancer processes mainly via stimulating the immune system. Furthermore, the antioxidative ability of I. obliquus extracts can prevent generation of cancer cells. In this review, we highlight recent findings regarding mechanisms underlying the anticancer influence of I. obliquus, to provide a comprehensive landscape view of the actions of this mushroom in preventing cancer.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.201-207
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• 2011

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare two different gingival depigmentation techniques using an erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser and rotary instruments. Methods: Two patients with melanin pigmentation of gingiva were treated with different gingival depigmentation techniques. Ablation of the gingiva by Er:YAG laser was performed on the right side, and abrasion with a rotary round bur on the opposite side. Results: The patients were satisfied with the esthetically significant improvement with each method. However, some pigment still remained on the marginal gingival and papilla. The visual analog scale did not yield much difference between the two methods, with slightly more pain on the Er:YAG laser treated site. Conclusions: The results of these cases suggest that ablation of the gingiva by an Er:YAG laser and abrasion with a rotary round bur is good enough to achieve esthetic satisfaction and fair wound healing without infection or severe pain. Prudent care about the gingival condition, such as the gingival thickness and degree of pigmentation along with appropriate assessment is needed in ablation by the Er:YAG laser procedure.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1987.07a
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• pp.157-167
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• 1987

The have been many reports that phenoloxidase are correlated with development in many fungi. C. congregatus, one of nushroom-forming basidiomycetes, which requires light for its development also has phenoloxidases. In C. congragatus, there are two sets of membrane-associated phenoloxidase (PHO I and PHO II) which are differentiated by their isozyme patterns, and each enzyme set consists of two different subtrate specific enzyme protein; o-tolidine reacting enzyme, and DOPA reacting enzyme. PHO I which is localized by a protoplast-concanavalin A technique by using a new solidifying agent, Pluronic Polyol F 127, instead of agar appears in the vegetative hyphae, and PHO II appears at the early primordial stage on agar and at the sclerotial stage of liquid shake cultures. Inhibition of PHO I with the enzyme inhibitors inhibits mushroom formation as well as melanization of the vegetative hyphae at concentrations which do not inhibit the vegetative growth. PHO I deficient mutants do not form mushrooms or melanins, and the mutants show abnormal nuclear migration patterns. PHO II has roles; possibly cementing the adjacent hyphae during the actual three dimensonal structure formation, and melanizing mushrooms and sclerotia. The possible roles of PHO I in the light reception complex and in melanin formation, the function of malanin, and possible roles of postulated post translational modifying enzymes which regulate the phenoloxidases, nuclear migration pattern, and self-nonself recognition mechanism are discussed.