Reaction of superoxide anions with melanins: electron spin resonance and spin trapping studies. Biochim Biophys Acta 1986 Jun 19;882(2):145-53
Date
06/19/1986Pubmed ID
3011111DOI
10.1016/0304-4165(86)90149-2Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0023052763 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 101 CitationsAbstract
Scavenging of superoxide radicals by melanin is a possible factor in the photoprotection afforded by melanin pigments. The reaction between superoxide anions and melanins has been studied by electron spin resonance and spin trapping methods. It was found that superoxide anions react to produce melanin free radicals in a reaction inhibited by superoxide dismutase but not by catalase. The rate of radical formation depends on the concentration of melanin and superoxide, the pH of the medium and the presence of diamagnetic metal ions. The melanin pigment competes with the enzyme superoxide dismutase for removal of superoxide radicals. It was found that the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system is not suitable for studying the reaction of superoxide with melanin, as the enzymatic activity of xanthine oxidase is considerably inhibited by melanin.
Author List
Korytowski W, Kalyanaraman B, Menon IA, Sarna T, Sealy RCAuthor
Balaraman Kalyanaraman PhD Professor in the Biophysics department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Cations, DivalentDimethyl Sulfoxide
Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
Free Radicals
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Kinetics
Melanins
Superoxides
Xanthine Oxidase