Unusual structural and electronic properties make skin pigments superior radical scavengers
Monday, October 28, 2013 - 08:30
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org) —A black and insoluble biopolymer called eumelanin and other types of melanin together determine skin and hair color, particularly for dark phenotypes. Eumelanin is also a soft, biocompatible nanomaterial with technological potential. However, previous studies of this substance have primarily been carried out with synthetic samples. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Italian researchers have now revealed why natural eumelanin is significantly superior to the synthetic version as a radical scavenger, antioxidant, and photoprotectant.