1. Antioxidant properties of fungal melanin pigments
- Author
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Shcherba, V. V., Babitskaya, V. G., Kurchenko, V. P., Ikonnikova, N. V., and Kukulyanskaya, T. A.
- Abstract
Fungal melanin pigments were shown to display a high antioxidant activity. An increase in the number of methyl substituents in benzidine molecules of melanins obtained from micromycetes and macromycetes was accompanied by a decrease in the efficiency of inhibition of peroxidase-mediated oxidation. Melanins were found to have considerable gene-protecting properties. Pigments isolated from macromycetes and applied at a much lower concentration than those obtained from micromycetes prevented damage to bacteriophage-λ DNA induced by products of peroxidase-mediated degradation of aminobiphenyls.
- Published
- 2000
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