Two patient receiving minocycline developed blue-black pigmentation on the legs. Biopsies from the pigmented areas demonstrated granules containing iron, a pigment with staining properties similar to melanin, and a third pigment which may be a degradation product of minocycline. Electron microscopy showed that some, but not all the granules were membrane-bound and they were situated mainly within macrophages. Analytical electron microscopy showed that the granules contained iron, sulphur, chlorine and, in one case, calcium.
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