Phys.org July 8, 2020
Melanins are a family of heterogeneous biopolymers found ubiquitously across plant, animal, bacterial, and fungal kingdoms where they act variously as pigments and as radiation protection agents. An international team of researchers (USA – Northwestern, UC San Diego, University of Akron, Belgium) synthesized ” selenomelanin” enriching melanin with selenium instead of sulfur to provide better protection against X-rays as selenium is an essential micronutrient that plays an important role in cancer prevention. Results demonstrated that selenomelanin offers superior protection from radiation, it is easy to synthesize. Selenomelanin can be biosynthesized, with appropriate nutrients can produce selenomelanin on their own—and retain its radioprotective properties…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Abstract. Credit: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX, July 8, 2020