Orange pigments in birds and human redheads prevent cellular damage, study shows
Phys.org••science
Key Points:
- Pheomelanin, an orange-to-red pigment found in red hair, fair skin, and bird feathers, is built with the amino acid cysteine and is linked to increased melanoma risk.
- Researchers studied 65 zebra finches, finding that blocking pheomelanin synthesis in males while supplementing cysteine led to increased oxidative damage in blood plasma.
- Female finches, which do not produce pheomelanin, showed increased oxidative damage when given cysteine alone, suggesting a protective role of pheomelanin in managing cysteine levels.
- The study suggests pheomelanin synthesis helps maintain cysteine homeostasis by converting excess cysteine into inert pigment, potentially explaining the evolutionary persistence of pheomelanin-prom
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