Fluorescent quantification of melanin.

Bruno Fernandes, Teresa Matamá, Diana Guimarães, Andreia Gomes, Artur Cavaco-Paulo

Pigment cell & melanoma research 2016 Nov

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Melanin quantification is reportedly performed by absorption spectroscopy, commonly at 405 nm. Here, we propose the implementation of fluorescence spectroscopy for melanin assessment. In a typical in vitro assay to assess melanin production in response to an external stimulus, absorption spectroscopy clearly overvalues melanin content. This method is also incapable of distinguishing non-melanotic/amelanotic control cells from those that are actually capable of performing melanogenesis. Therefore, fluorescence spectroscopy is the best method for melanin quantification as it proved to be highly specific and accurate, detecting even small variations in the synthesis of melanin. This method can also be applied to the quantification of melanin in more complex biological matrices like zebrafish embryos and human hair. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Citation

Bruno Fernandes, Teresa Matamá, Diana Guimarães, Andreia Gomes, Artur Cavaco-Paulo. Fluorescent quantification of melanin. Pigment cell & melanoma research. 2016 Nov;29(6):707-712