Aluminum ions accelerated the oxidative stress of copper-mediated melanin formation.
A comparison between the effects of aluminum and cupric ions on the dopachrome (DC) conversion and the cooperation effect of the both ions in the DOPA oxidation to melanin pathway has been studied by UV-Vis spectrophotometric method. Both aluminum and cupric ions catalyze the DC conversion reaction, which is an important step in the melanin synthesis pathway. However, cupric ions catalyze the conversion of DC to yield 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA) but the product of DC conversion catalyzed by aluminum is 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI). DOPA oxidation catalyzed by aluminum and cupric ions is studied in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The results from our experiments provide evidence that aluminum can markedly increase the oxidative stress of copper-mediated the melanin formation and influence the properties of the melanin by means of changing the ratio of DHICA/DHI in the acidic environment (pH 5.5).
Department of Chemistry, The State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry of China, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing 210093, China.
Junwei
J
Di
Shuping
S
Bi
D000535:Aluminum; D002412:Cations; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000737:chemistry*; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods; D045563:Indolequinones / Q000737:chemistry*; D008543:Melanins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
D002412:Cations; D045563:Indolequinones; D008543:Melanins; C001123:dopachrome; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D003300:Copper; D000535:Aluminum