Melanins(eumelanin,pheomelanin,and allomelanin)represent a very,if not themost,important group of biological pigments.Their biological roles are multiple,from photoprotection to antioxidant activity,heavy metal dispos...Melanins(eumelanin,pheomelanin,and allomelanin)represent a very,if not themost,important group of biological pigments.Their biological roles are multiple,from photoprotection to antioxidant activity,heavy metal disposal or the myriad uses of color in organisms across all Phyla.In the first part of this review,eumelanin biology and some chemical aspects will be presented,as well as key physico-chemical features that make this biological pigment so interesting.The principal characteristics of the melanocyte,the melanin-synthesizing cell in mammals,will also be introduced.Transformed melanocytes are the cause of one of the most devastating known cancers:the malignant melanoma.Epidemiology and molecular signaling aspects will be presented next,as well as the principal advances in promising oncotherapies designed and applied for the treatment of melanoma.In particular,on account of the photo-physical properties of melanin,special details will be provided regarding the use of photothermal therapy for melanoma treatment.展开更多
Melanins represent one of the most ancient and important group of natural macromolecular pigments.They have multiple biological roles in almost all organisms across the Phyla,examples being photoprotection,anti-oxidat...Melanins represent one of the most ancient and important group of natural macromolecular pigments.They have multiple biological roles in almost all organisms across the Phyla,examples being photoprotection,anti-oxidative action,radical scavenger activity,and heavy metal removal.From the biomedical point of view,melanocytes are involved in the origin of melanoma tumors,and the main therapeutic advances for their treatment have been revised in Part 1 of this review.The chemical structure of eumelanin is a biological concern of great importance,and therefore,exploring theoretical molecular models and synthesis mechanisms will be here described,as well as molecular orbital features and supramolecular organization,which are responsible for the key properties that make these biological pigments so important,and so fascinating.Ultimately,this updated overview is devoted to describe present structural models and physico-chemical characteristics of eumelanin,in order to explain and utilize melanin properties on which new photothermal and ultrasonic protocols for melanoma treatment can be devised and applied.展开更多
文摘Melanins(eumelanin,pheomelanin,and allomelanin)represent a very,if not themost,important group of biological pigments.Their biological roles are multiple,from photoprotection to antioxidant activity,heavy metal disposal or the myriad uses of color in organisms across all Phyla.In the first part of this review,eumelanin biology and some chemical aspects will be presented,as well as key physico-chemical features that make this biological pigment so interesting.The principal characteristics of the melanocyte,the melanin-synthesizing cell in mammals,will also be introduced.Transformed melanocytes are the cause of one of the most devastating known cancers:the malignant melanoma.Epidemiology and molecular signaling aspects will be presented next,as well as the principal advances in promising oncotherapies designed and applied for the treatment of melanoma.In particular,on account of the photo-physical properties of melanin,special details will be provided regarding the use of photothermal therapy for melanoma treatment.
文摘Melanins represent one of the most ancient and important group of natural macromolecular pigments.They have multiple biological roles in almost all organisms across the Phyla,examples being photoprotection,anti-oxidative action,radical scavenger activity,and heavy metal removal.From the biomedical point of view,melanocytes are involved in the origin of melanoma tumors,and the main therapeutic advances for their treatment have been revised in Part 1 of this review.The chemical structure of eumelanin is a biological concern of great importance,and therefore,exploring theoretical molecular models and synthesis mechanisms will be here described,as well as molecular orbital features and supramolecular organization,which are responsible for the key properties that make these biological pigments so important,and so fascinating.Ultimately,this updated overview is devoted to describe present structural models and physico-chemical characteristics of eumelanin,in order to explain and utilize melanin properties on which new photothermal and ultrasonic protocols for melanoma treatment can be devised and applied.
