Issue 29, 2024

Melanin: Nature's 4th bioorganic polymer

Abstract

The pigments known as the melanins are widely recognized for their responsibility in the coloration of human skin, eyes, hair, and minimising the harmful effects of solar ultraviolet radiation. But specialists are aware that the melanins are present in all living kingdoms, barring viruses, and have functionality that extends beyond neutralizing ionising radiation. The ubiquitous presence of melanin in almost all human organs, recognized in recent years, as well as the presence of melanin in organisms that are evolutionarily distant from each other, indicate the fundamental importance of this class of material for all life forms. In this review, we argue for the need to accept melanins as the fourth primordial class of biological polymers, along with nucleic acids, proteins and polysaccharides. We consistently compare the properties of these canonical biological polymers with the properties of melanin and highlight key features that fundamentally distinguish melanins, their function and its mysteries.

Graphical abstract: Melanin: Nature's 4th bioorganic polymer

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
25 Dzi 2024
Accepted
09 Maw 2024
First published
09 Maw 2024

Soft Matter, 2024,20, 5635-5651

Melanin: Nature's 4th bioorganic polymer

K. A. Motovilov and A. B. Mostert, Soft Matter, 2024, 20, 5635 DOI: 10.1039/D4SM00491D

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