Determination of eumelanin in human urine

Pigment Cell Research
K WakamatsuS Ito

Abstract

Normal and malignant melanocytes produce melanins and melanin-related metabolites, most of which are retained in the cells but some are secreted into the blood and then excreted in the urine. In this study, we developed a method to measure levels of eumelanin in urine samples and evaluated its clinical significance in comparison with the melanin-related metabolites 6-hydroxy-5-methoxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (6H5MI2C) and 5-S-cysteinyldopa (5-S-CD), and with pheomelanin, measured after degradation as 4-amino-3-hydroxyphenylalanine (4-AHP). The method is based on the production of pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (PTCA) on permanganate oxidation of eumelanin, followed by quantification by liquid chromatography. For 118 urine samples from 10 control subjects, mean urinary excretions of PTCA, 6H5MI2C, 5-S-CD and 4-AHP were 19, 67, 37 and 59 micromol/mol creatinine respectively. In melanoma patients (n = 45), the mean urinary excretions of PTCA, 6H5MI2C, 5-S-CD, and 4-AHP were 91, 926, 4070 and 3530 micromol/mol creatinine respectively. Median level of PTCA in melanoma patients was elevated 2.1-fold compared with control subjects. The degrees of elevation for 6H5MI2C, 5-S-CD, and 4-AHP were 1.8-, 22- and 6.2-fold respectively. Thus...Continue Reading

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May 25, 2002·Pigment Cell Research·Kazumasa Wakamatsu, Shosuke Ito
May 25, 2002·Pigment Cell Research·Kazumasa WakamatsuJonathan L Rees
May 20, 2003·Pigment Cell Research·Shosuke Ito, UNKNOWN IFPCS
Sep 3, 2003·Pigment Cell Research·Akihiko TakasakiBertil Kågedal
May 14, 2004·Pigment Cell Research·Yan LiuJohn D Simon

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Citations

Mar 10, 2007·The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine·Kazuhisa TakedaShigeki Shibahara
Feb 1, 2009·Biomarkers in Medicine·Monica NeaguIrina Margaritescu
Jun 16, 2009·Journal of Chromatography. a·Dzeneta Nezirević DernrothBertil Kågedal
Jun 26, 2007·Journal of Chromatography. a·Dzeneta NezirevićBertil Kågedal
Mar 21, 2007·Pigment Cell Research·Lucia PanzellaAlessandra Napolitano
Dec 20, 2007·Blood Purification·Kazutaka MurakamiShosuke Ito
Jan 15, 2008·Veterinary Pathology·V RussoS Roperto
Aug 21, 2015·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Johan LindgrenBenjamin P Kear

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