Browsing by Author "n. Deepshikha"

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The amazing world of biological pigments: A review on microbial melanins
(Elsevier Ltd, 2025) Divya Singh; n. Deepshikha; Venkatesh Chaturvedi; Pradeep Verma
Biological pigments fundamentally fall into two main categories: photosynthetic pigments and photoprotective pigments. Photosynthetic pigments are essential for photosynthesis whereas photoprotective pigments are necessary for protection against harmful solar radiations including UV-B rays. Among all the photoprotective pigments, melanin is considered to be the key player as it is synthesized in a variety of living organisms. In nature, melanin acts as a photo protectant, chelating agent, antioxidant, charge transport mediator, metal ion balancer and a critical camouflaging colorant. The biosynthesis of melanin involves the enzymes tyrosinase, laccase, and 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase respectively, that employ different substrates to form a variety of melanin's. The production and extraction of these polymers from plants and animals is a challenging task. Therefore, the focus has shifted to inexpensive sources such as microbes. Also, with the help of recombinant DNA technology, it is possible to increase melanin production. In this review, we have discussed different types of pigment occurring in plants, animals and microbes with special reference to melanin. We have also emphasized on the pathways involved in synthesis of major classes of melanin. Finally, the latest advances towards strain improvement and process development methods along with biological functions, and applications of melanin are also summarized and discussed. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd