Chemoenzymatic Isolation and Characterization of High Purity Mammalian Melanin.
Chembiochem
; 23(9): e202200021, 2022 05 04.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35318787
ABSTRACT
Although melanin is one of the most ubiquitous polymers in living systems, our understanding of its molecular structure, biosynthesis and biophysical properties has been limited to only a small number of organisms other than humans. This is in part due to the difficulty associated with isolating pure melanin. While purification methods exist, they typically involve harsh treatments with strong acid/base conditions combined with elevated temperatures that can lead to the polymer backbone degradation. To be successful, a viable isolation method must deliver a selective, yet complete degradation of non-melanin biopolymers as well as remove small molecule metabolites that are not integrative to the melanin backbone. Here, we demonstrate the use of chemoenzymatic processing guided by fluorescent probes for the purification and isolation of native mammalian melanin without significant induction of chemical degradation. This multi-step purification-tracking methodology enables quantitative isolation of pure melanin from mammalian tissue for spectroscopic characterization.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Polímeros
/
Melaninas
Límite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Chembiochem
Asunto de la revista:
BIOQUIMICA
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos