title: Detection and quantitation of a pheomelanin component in melanin pigments using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry system with multiple reaction monitoring mode.
abstract: Here, we describe the reliable method for the detection and quantitation of a pheomelanin component in melanin pigments. Synthetic melanins with various contents of pheomelanin-type structural units were thermally degraded, and the multiple reaction monitoring mode was applied to detect the pheomelanin markers in the pyrolysates by GC/MS/MS. The method allowed the specific detection and quantitation of a pheomelanin component in melanin with the incorporation of pheomelanin-type units as low as 0.05%. Considering highly universal character of the pheomelanin markers, the method could be applied for structural studies of natural melanin pigments being mixtures of eumelanin and pheomelanin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Instrumental Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. adler@sum.edu.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dzierżęga-Lęcznar
authors.forename: Slawomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurkiewicz
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stępień
mesh_terms: D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D016014:Linear Models; D008543:Melanins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins; C018362:pheomelanin; C041877:eumelanin