Melanina, um pigmento natural multifuncional

TL;DR

This review discusses the multifaceted roles of melanin as a natural pigment, highlighting recent advances in its properties and diverse applications in biomedicine and electronics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of melanin's physicochemical, biochemical, and photochemical properties along with recent technological applications.

Findings

Advances in understanding melanin's properties

Development of melanin-based bioelectronic devices

Potential medical applications in disease diagnosis

Abstract

The melanins are a ubiquitous class of pigments found throughout nature from lower organisms to humans. It is one of the few biopolymers with fascinating functions in biology, medicine, chemistry, physics and engineering due to its relation to neurological diseases, skin disorders and melanoma, and, in the last couple of decades, its applications in biocompatible and biodegradable devices for organic electronic and bioelectronics. In this review, we present the major advances in physicochemical, biochemical and photochemical properties as well as some melanin-based technological application. Keywords: Melanin; physical-chemical properties; biochemistry; photochemistry technological applications.