melanin

Also known as melanins

thumb|Micrograph of melanin pigment (light refracting granular material—center of image) in a pigmented [[melanoma]] thumb|Micrograph of the epidermis, with melanin labeled at left

AI overview

Melanin is a dark pigment produced by cells in your skin that gives skin, hair, and eyes their color. It plays an important protective role by absorbing ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, helping shield your skin from damage.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Material.name: Melanin
Material.image: Eumelanine.svg
Material.alt: One possible structure of eumelanin
Material.caption: One possible structure of eumelanin
Material.type: Heterogeneous biopolymer

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

27,802 papers

Melanin.ReviewThe international journal of biochemistry & cell biology · 1997Riley PADOI: 10.1016/s1357-2725(97)00013-7
RPE melanin and its influence on the progression of AMD.ReviewAgeing research reviews · 2024Kaufmann M, Han ZDOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102358
Photoprotection and Skin Pigmentation: Melanin-Related Molecules and Some Other New Agents Obtained from Natural Sources.ReviewMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Solano FDOI: 10.3390/molecules25071537
Melanin's Journey from Melanocytes to Keratinocytes: Uncovering the Molecular Mechanisms of Melanin Transfer and Processing.ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023Bento-Lopes L, Cabaço LC, Charneca J et al.DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411289
Melanin biosynthesis in bacteria, regulation and production perspectives.ReviewApplied microbiology and biotechnology · 2020Pavan ME, López NI, Pettinari MJDOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10245-y
Melanin/melanin-like nanoparticles in tumor photothermal and targeted therapies.ReviewInternational journal of pharmaceutics · 2025Wu J, Xu Y, Wu D et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.125354
Interactions of Melanin with Electromagnetic Radiation: From Fundamentals to Applications.ReviewChemical reviews · 2024Xie W, Dhinojwala A, Gianneschi NC et al.DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00858
Microbial production of melanin and its various applications.ReviewWorld journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2020Tran-Ly AN, Reyes C, Schwarze FWMR et al.DOI: 10.1007/s11274-020-02941-z

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Show 1 more fact

Commons category: Melanins

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~28 min read

Article

23 sections

Contents

Melanin types
Eumelanin
Pheomelanin
Neuromelanin
Other forms of melanins
Peptidomelanin
Selenomelanin
Trichochromes
Humans
Other organisms
Plants
Interpretation as a single monomer
Biosynthetic pathways
Microscopic appearance
Genetic disorders and disease states
Human adaptations
Physiology
Evolutionary origins
Effects
Physical properties and technological applications
Role in melanoma metastasis
References
External links

thumb|Micrograph of melanin pigment (light refracting granular material—center of image) in a pigmented [[melanoma]] thumb|Micrograph of the epidermis, with melanin labeled at left

Melanin (; ) is a family of biomolecules organized as oligomers or polymers, which among other functions provide the pigments of many organisms. Melanin pigments are produced in a specialized group of cells known as melanocytes.