mel·a·nin

(mĕl′ə-nĭn)

Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

melanin

(ˈmɛlənɪn)

(Biology) any of a group of black or dark brown pigments present in the hair, skin, and eyes of man and animals: produced in excess in certain skin diseases and in melanomas

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mel•a•nin

(ˈmɛl ə nɪn)

n.

any of a class of insoluble pigments that are found in all forms of animal life and account for the dark color of skin, hair, fur, scales, and feathers.

[1835–45; < Greek melan-, s. of mélās black + -in¹]

mel′a•nin•like`, adj.

mel·a·nin

(mĕl′ə-nĭn)

A dark pigment found in the skin, hair, scales, feathers, and eyes of animals. It provides protection against the sun's rays by absorbing ultraviolet light.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

melanin

A dark pigment occurring in skin and hair.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

melanin - insoluble pigments that account for the color of e.g. skin and scales and feathers

feather, plumage, plume - the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

cutis, skin, tegument - a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch; "your skin is the largest organ of your body"

animal pigment - pigment occurring in animals

Translations

μελανίνη

melaniini

melanina

melanin

[ˈmelənɪn] N → melanina f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

melanin

[ˈmɛlənɪn] n → mélanine f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

mel·a·nin

n. melanina, pigmento oscuro de la piel, el pelo y partes del ojo.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

melanin

n melanina

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Among the genes that are known to be involved in pigmentation, tyrosinase-related protein (TYRP1), Melanogenesis associated transcription factor (MITF), and KIT ligand (KITLG) genes could directly or indirectly affect the production of two types of pigments, pheomelanin (yellow/red or white color) and eumelanin (dark color) in mammals [5].

Sequence characterization and polymorphism of melanocortin 1 receptor gene in some goat breeds with different coat color of Mongolia

Hair gets its colour from two types of melanin pigments-eumelanin, which dictates how dark the hair is, and pheomelanin which determines how red or yellow it is.

Stress Does Not Manifest As White Hair -Expert

The colour of a person's hair is determined by different pigments - eumelanin (black) and pheomelanin (red).

If you're a man wondering why your beard grows ginger - science has an answer; Beards are more popular than ever - but many men who grow theirs for the first time have an unexpected surprise

Melanin comes in two forms, eumelanin (black or brown) and pheomelanin (reddish-yellow).

Going grey gracefully? HEALTH NOTES

The ratio between melanin eumelanin and pheomelanin differs depending on the population and the geographic location where the individual originated.22 Eumelanin can act as a photoprotector by absorbing visible and nonvisible UV rays, especially between the wavelengths of 720 nm and 620 nm.

Characteristics of facial melasma on Javanese women in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

And because of the natural tanning reation to the sun's ultraviolet light, as well as the high amounts of pheomelanin in their skin, redheads commonly have freckles.

Carrot toppers; BATTLE OF GINGER WHY EVERY REDHEAD SHOULD BE PROUD

[alpha]-MSH then binds to the melanocortin 1 receptor on melanocyte cells, inducing a switch from the production of the pale skin pigment pheomelanin to eumelanin which is the darker (brown or black) pigment (7).

Latest Insights on the Etiology and Management of Primary Adrenal Insufficiency in Children

Reasons for its skin lightening effect include: its antioxidant properties, ability to switch eumelanin to pheomelanin which is the type of melanin found in lighter skin-toned individuals and the inhibitory effect it has on tyrosinase which is a key enzyme in melanogenesis.2

Intravenous glutathione for fair skin; to give or not to give?

Lighter skin has more pheomelanin, which is pink-toned rather than brown.

The truth about..TANNING

The color of these organs depends on the amount, distribution, and quality of melanin, which occurs in 3 forms: neuromelanin (brown-black), eumelanin (brownblack), and pheomelanin (golden yellow-red) (Figure 5, B through D).

Human Colors--The Rainbow Garden of Pathology: What Gives Normal and Pathologic Tissues Their Color?

Likely, the brown hair color of A budini is attained via a mixing of eumelanin and pheomelanin, as is seen in other small mammal species (Singaravelan et al., 2010).

Intra-specific pelage color variation in a south american small rodent species/Variacao intraespecifica da cor da pelagem de uma especie de pequeno roedor sul-americano