Melanin, a promising radioprotector: Mechanisms of actions in a mice model

Kunwar, Amit; Adhikary, Biplab; Jayakumar, S.; Barik, Atanu; Chattopadhyay, Subrata; Raghukumar, Seshagiri; Priyadarsini, K. Indira

doi:10.1016/j.taap.2012.08.002

Cited by 94 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The probable mechanisms of radioprotection by melanin appear to be modulated in pro-survival pathways, immune system, and prevention of oxidative stress. It was reported that melanin isolated from the fungus G. simplex reduced the radiation-induced overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α), which might help in the recovery from radiation injury by preventing the aggravation of inflammation and oxidative stress [33]. This study confirmed the possible use of melanin-coated nanoparticles for protecting against radiotoxicity during radioimmunotherapy [117].…”

Section: Biological Activities Of Melaninsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…Studies have shown that the effect of melanin enhancing the survival of fungi under adverse conditions can be mainly due to its powerful free radical scavenger properties, acting as a "sponge" for other free radicals generated by the fungus in response to environmental stress [20,29,30]. Apart from this scavenging ability, melanin exhibits other biological activities, including thermoregulatory, photoprotective, antimicrobial, antiviral, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, radioprotective, and immunomodulatory [13,17,18,[31][32][33][34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Production of Melanin Pigment by Fungi and Its Biotechnological Applications

Sponchiado¹,

Sousa²,

Andrade³

et al. 2017

Melanin

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Production of the microbial pigments is one of the emerging fields of research due to a growing interest of the industry for safer products, easily degradable and eco-friendly. Fungi constitute a valuable source of pigments because they are capable of producing high yields of the substance in the cheap culture medium, making the bioprocess economically viable on the industrial scale. Some fungal species produce a dark-brown pigment, known as melanin, by oxidative polymerization of phenolic compounds, such as glutaminyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzene (GDHB) or catechol or 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) or 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). This pigment has been reported to act as "fungal armor" due to its ability to protect fungi from adverse conditions, neutralizing oxidants generated in response to stress. Apart from the scavenging activity, melanin exhibits other biological activities, including thermoregulatory, radio-and photoprotective, antimicrobial, antiviral, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory. Studies have shown that the media composition and cultivation conditions affect the pigment production in fungi and the manipulation of these parameters can result in an increase in pigment yield for large-scale pigment production. This chapter presents a comprehensive discussion of the research on fungal melanin, including the recently discovered biological activities and the potential use of this pigment for various biotechnological applications in the fields of biomedicine, dermocosmetics, materials science, and nanotechnology.

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Section: Biological Activities Of Melaninsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production of Melanin Pigment by Fungi and Its Biotechnological Applications

Sponchiado¹,

Sousa²,

Andrade³

et al. 2017

Melanin

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“…This result indicated that melanin has a lower cytotoxicity than known cytotoxic agents such as cisplatin or epirubicin, for which the IC 50 values are 41.2 µg/mL and 15.9 µg/mL, respectively, against the same cell line. 50) Thus, we showed that A. nidulans melanin has a much lower cytotoxic effect under the experimental conditions used to evaluate the immunomodulatory activity of this pigment.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Kunwar et al 50) showed that melanin isolated from the fungus Gliocephalotrichum simplex reduced the radiationinduced overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α), which might help in the recovery from radiation injury by preventing the aggravation of inflammation and oxidative stress. Additionally, this melanin was shown to be a very effective radioprotector in a mouse model.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inhibition of Nitric Oxide and Tumour Necrosis Factor-α Production in Peritoneal Macrophages by <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i> Melanin

Gonçalves

Kitagawa

Raddi

et al. 2013

Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin

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The naturally occurring pigment, melanin is found in organisms of all phylogenetic kingdoms, including fungi, and exhibits a wide range of biological activities. Our objective was to investigate the effects of melanin extracted from the fungus Aspergillus nidulans on the production of the pro-inflammatory mediators nitric oxide (NO) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in peritoneal macrophages and on the viability of McCoy mouse fibroblasts. The results showed that A. nidulans melanin did not stimulate NO production in macrophages, but it inhibited the NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages by approximately 82%. Similarly, A. nidulans melanin inhibited LPS-stimulated TNF-α production by 52% and showed a slight stimulatory effect on TNF-α production in macrophages. In addition, the toxicity of A. nidulans melanin to McCoy cells was much lesser (IC 50 373.5 2.4 µg/mL) than that of known agents such as cisplatin (IC 50 41.2 µg/mL). The viability of peritoneal macrophages was greater than 90% at the highest melanin concentration tested (100 µg/mL). Thus, the combination of low cytotoxicity and marked inhibition of TNF-α and NO production suggests that A. nidulans melanin has potential as an anti-inflammatory agent and may be used in the future for development of new drugs with therapeutic utility.

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“…Skin cancers are increasing nowadays and sunscreens are apparently underused and misused 1 . Many studies had been done on various radioprotectors including; Amifostine, caffine, troxerutin and melanin [2][3][4][5] to act on cellular DNA against the deleterious effects of gamma-radiation. In 2012 Goukassian and his colleagues reported that thymidine dinucleotides (pTpT) induced DNA repair to newborn mice and reduced and delayed the development of UV-induced melanomas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Study Between Topical Applications of Liposomally Entrapped Dna Repair Enzymes and Thymidine Dinucleotides as Radioprotectors

Shabon¹,

Bedewi²

2013

J Pharm Sci Innov

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The delivery of active agents to the skin by liposome carriers is of great interest during the last three decades, based on their potential to enclose various types of biological materials and to deliver them to diverse cell types. Purpose: is to compare between topical application of DNA repair enzymes and thymidine dinucleotide which is a photoprotective agent against non-ionizing radiation through induction of DNA repair. Materials and Methods: thirty six Albino rats were treated by either thymidine dinucleotides or liposomally entrapped DNA repair enzymes topically, 24 hours after they were irradiated with Cobalt-60(60Co) gamma radiation with different doses (0.5 and 3Gy), and they were evaluated with histolopathologically by H&E stain and computerized image analyzer using Masson's trichrome stain. Results: Gamma radiation produced epidermal thinning and dermal inflammatory cells together with collagen fragmentation and clumping in a dose-like manner. Thymidine dinucleotides gave a better response with both (0.5& 3 Gy) than liposomally entrapped DNA repair enzymes, the epidermis was preserved of with no inflammatory cells and also it maintained the normal architecture of collagen bundles. Conclusion: The effects of gamma radiation on the skin could be minimized by the use of certain dinucleotides.

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Melanin, a promising radioprotector: Mechanisms of actions in a mice model

Cited by 94 publications

References 26 publications

Production of Melanin Pigment by Fungi and Its Biotechnological Applications

Production of Melanin Pigment by Fungi and Its Biotechnological Applications

Inhibition of Nitric Oxide and Tumour Necrosis Factor-α Production in Peritoneal Macrophages by <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i> Melanin

Comparative Study Between Topical Applications of Liposomally Entrapped Dna Repair Enzymes and Thymidine Dinucleotides as Radioprotectors

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