Recent Advances and Progress on Melanin: From Source to Application

Overview

Journal Int J Mol Sci

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Biochemistry
Chemistry
Molecular Biology

Date 2023 Mar 11

PMID 36901791

Authors

Lili Guo

Wenya Li

Zhiyang Gu

Litong Wang

Lan Guo

Saibo Ma

Cuiyao Li

Jishang Sun

Baoqin Han

Jing Chang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Melanin is a biological pigment formed by indoles and phenolic compounds. It is widely found in living organisms and has a variety of unique properties. Due to its diverse characteristics and good biocompatibility, melanin has become the focus in the fields of biomedicine, agriculture, the food industry, etc. However, due to the wide range of melanin sources, complex polymerization properties, and low solubility of specific solvents, the specific macromolecular structure and polymerization mechanism of melanin remain unclear, which significantly limits the further study and application of melanin. Its synthesis and degradation pathways are also controversial. In addition, new properties and applications of melanin are constantly being discovered. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in the research of melanin in all aspects. Firstly, the classification, source, and degradation of melanin are summarized. Secondly, a detailed description of the structure, characterization, and properties of melanin is followed. The novel biological activity of melanin and its application is described at the end.

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