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Xie W, Dhinojwala A, Gianneschi NC, Shawkey MD. Interactions of Melanin with Electromagnetic Radiation: From Fundamentals to Applications. Chem Rev 2024; 124:7165-7213. [PMID: 38758918 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Melanin, especially integumentary melanin, interacts in numerous ways with electromagnetic radiation, leading to a set of critical functions, including radiation protection, UV-protection, pigmentary and structural color productions, and thermoregulation. By harnessing these functions, melanin and melanin-like materials can be widely applied to diverse applications with extraordinary performance. Here we provide a unified overview of the melanin family (all melanin and melanin-like materials) and their interactions with the complete electromagnetic radiation spectrum (X-ray, Gamma-ray, UV, visible, near-infrared), which until now has been absent from the literature and is needed to establish a solid fundamental base to facilitate their future investigation and development. We begin by discussing the chemistries and morphologies of both natural and artificial melanin, then the fundamentals of melanin-radiation interactions, and finally the exciting new developments in high-performance melanin-based functional materials that exploit these interactions. This Review provides both a comprehensive overview and a discussion of future perspectives for each subfield of melanin that will help direct the future development of melanin from both fundamental and applied perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanjie Xie
- Department of Biology, Evolution and Optics of Nanostructure Group, University of Ghent, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Ali Dhinojwala
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Nathan C Gianneschi
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Lurie Cancer Center, and International Institute of Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Matthew D Shawkey
- Department of Biology, Evolution and Optics of Nanostructure Group, University of Ghent, Gent 9000, Belgium
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Pramod T, Khazeber R, Athiyarath V, Sureshan KM. Topochemistry for Difficult Peptide-Polymer Synthesis: Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Synthesis of an Isoleucine-Based Polymer, a Hydrophobic Coating Material. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:7257-7265. [PMID: 38253536 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c10779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Polymers of hydrophobic amino acids are predicted to be potential coating materials for the creation of hydrophobic surfaces. The oligopeptides of hydrophobic amino acids are called "difficult peptides"; as the name suggests, it is difficult to synthesize them by conventional methods. We circumvented this synthetic challenge by adopting topochemical azide-alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) polymerization of a hydrophobic dipeptide monomer. We designed an Ile-based dipeptide, decorated with azide and alkyne, which arrange in the crystal in a head-to-tail fashion with the azide and alkyne of the adjacent molecules in a ready-to-react orientation. The monomer, on mild heating of its crystals, undergoes regiospecific TAAC polymerization to yield a 1,4-disubstituted-triazole-linked polymer in a single-crystal-to-single-crystal fashion. The solid obtained after evaporation of the monomer solution also maintained crystallinity and underwent regiospecific topochemical polymerization as in the case of crystals. This topochemical polymerization could be studied using different techniques such as FTIR, NMR, DSC, GPC, MALDI, PXRD, and SCXRD. Since the polymer is insoluble in common solvents and hence difficult to coat surfaces, the monomer was first sprayed and evaporated on various surfaces and polymerized on the surface. Such polymer-coated surfaces exhibited water contact angles of up to 134°, showing that this Ile-derived polymer is very hydrophobic and can potentially be used as a coating material for various applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thejus Pramod
- School of Chemistry, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Maruthamala, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Ravichandran Khazeber
- School of Chemistry, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Maruthamala, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Vignesh Athiyarath
- School of Chemistry, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Maruthamala, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
| | - Kana M Sureshan
- School of Chemistry, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Maruthamala, Thiruvananthapuram 695551, India
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Biyashev D, Siwicka ZE, Onay UV, Demczuk M, Xu D, Ernst MK, Evans ST, Nguyen CV, Son FA, Paul NK, McCallum NC, Farha OK, Miller SD, Gianneschi NC, Lu KQ. Topical application of synthetic melanin promotes tissue repair. NPJ Regen Med 2023; 8:61. [PMID: 37919305 PMCID: PMC10622536 DOI: 10.1038/s41536-023-00331-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In acute skin injury, healing is impaired by the excessive release of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Melanin, an efficient scavenger of radical species in the skin, performs a key role in ROS scavenging in response to UV radiation and is upregulated in response to toxic insult. In a chemical injury model in mice, we demonstrate that the topical application of synthetic melanin particles (SMPs) significantly decreases edema, reduces eschar detachment time, and increases the rate of wound area reduction compared to vehicle controls. Furthermore, these results were replicated in a UV-injury model. Immune array analysis shows downregulated gene expression in apoptotic and inflammatory signaling pathways consistent with histological reduction in apoptosis. Mechanistically, synthetic melanin intervention increases superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, decreases Mmp9 expression, and suppresses ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, we observed that the application of SMPs caused increased populations of anti-inflammatory immune cells to accumulate in the skin, mirroring their decrease from splenic populations. To enhance antioxidant capacity, an engineered biomimetic High Surface Area SMP was deployed, exhibiting increased wound healing efficiency. Finally, in human skin explants, SMP intervention significantly decreased the damage caused by chemical injury. Therefore, SMPs are promising and effective candidates as topical therapies for accelerated wound healing, including via pathways validated in human skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dauren Biyashev
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Zofia E Siwicka
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- International Institute of Nanotechnology, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Lurie Cancer Center. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Ummiye V Onay
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Michael Demczuk
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dan Xu
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Madison K Ernst
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Spencer T Evans
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Cuong V Nguyen
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Florencia A Son
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- International Institute of Nanotechnology, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Lurie Cancer Center. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Navjit K Paul
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- International Institute of Nanotechnology, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Lurie Cancer Center. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Naneki C McCallum
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- International Institute of Nanotechnology, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Lurie Cancer Center. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Omar K Farha
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- International Institute of Nanotechnology, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Lurie Cancer Center. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Stephen D Miller
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nathan C Gianneschi
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- International Institute of Nanotechnology, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Lurie Cancer Center. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, Ca, USA.
| | - Kurt Q Lu
- Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
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Song W, Yang H, Liu S, Yu H, Li D, Li P, Xing R. Melanin: insights into structure, analysis, and biological activities for future development. J Mater Chem B 2023; 11:7528-7543. [PMID: 37432655 DOI: 10.1039/d3tb01132a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Melanin, a widely distributed pigment found in various organisms, possesses distinct structures that can be classified into five main types: eumelanin (found in animals and plants), pheomelanin (found in animals and plants), allomelanin (found in plants), neuromelanin (found in animals), and pyomelanin (found in fungi and bacteria). In this review, we present an overview of the structure and composition of melanin, as well as the various spectroscopic identification methods that can be used, such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). We also provide a summary of the extraction methods of melanin and its diverse biological activities, including antibacterial properties, anti-radiation effects, and photothermal effects. The current state of research on natural melanin and its potential for further development is discussed. In particular, the review provides a comprehensive summary of the analysis methods used to determine melanin species, offering valuable insights and references for future research. Overall, this review aims to provide a thorough understanding of the concept and classification of melanin, its structure, physicochemical properties, and structural identification methods, as well as its various applications in the field of biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Song
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100000, China
- Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, 117546, Singapore.
| | - Haoyue Yang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
| | - Song Liu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266000, China
| | - Huahua Yu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266000, China
| | - Dan Li
- Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, 117546, Singapore.
| | - Pengcheng Li
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266000, China
| | - Ronge Xing
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266000, China
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Mavridi-Printezi A, Menichetti A, Mordini D, Montalti M. Functionalization of and through Melanin: Strategies and Bio-Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:9689. [PMID: 37298641 PMCID: PMC10253489 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
A unique feature of nanoparticles for bio-application is the ease of achieving multi-functionality through covalent and non-covalent functionalization. In this way, multiple therapeutic actions, including chemical, photothermal and photodynamic activity, can be combined with different bio-imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance, photoacoustic, and fluorescence imaging, in a theragnostic approach. In this context, melanin-related nanomaterials possess unique features since they are intrinsically biocompatible and, due to their optical and electronic properties, are themselves very efficient photothermal agents, efficient antioxidants, and photoacoustic contrast agents. Moreover, these materials present a unique versatility of functionalization, which makes them ideal for the design of multifunctional platforms for nanomedicine integrating new functions such as drug delivery and controlled release, gene therapy, or contrast ability in magnetic resonance and fluorescence imaging. In this review, the most relevant and recent examples of melanin-based multi-functionalized nanosystems are discussed, highlighting the different methods of functionalization and, in particular, distinguishing pre-functionalization and post-functionalization. In the meantime, the properties of melanin coatings employable for the functionalization of a variety of material substrates are also briefly introduced, especially in order to explain the origin of the versatility of melanin functionalization. In the final part, the most relevant critical issues related to melanin functionalization that may arise during the design of multifunctional melanin-like nanoplatforms for nanomedicine and bio-application are listed and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Marco Montalti
- Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician”, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (A.M.-P.); (A.M.); (D.M.)
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