Under
construction

The
founders of Italian Chemistry ( from Accademia delle Scienze detta dei XL,
1943 ).The women on the right is Prof.Marussia Bakunin.An interesting paper on
melanoma-melanin was published by Bakunin in 1904.
Ricordo di Maria Bakunin del
Socio R.A.Nicolaus in occasione della presentazione del ritratto alla
Accademia Pontaniana.
30 Gennaio 2003.
Alla prima pagina del Volume I degli Atti di questa Accademia vi è
uno scritto di Benedetto Croce del 13 Gennaio 1949
che dice :
L'Accademia Pontaniana
è stata due volte soppressa nel corso dei secoli e due volte è risorta.
Nata la prima volta nel
1443 intorno ad Alfonso quinto d'
Aragona, primo re di Napoli, sotto la direzione del Panormita e, nella nuova
generazione, di Giovanni Pontano,
del quale le restò il nome, visse un secolo giusto. Fu fatta chiudere nel
1542 dal vicerè spagnuolo don Pedro de Toledo per sospetti di spiriti
ereticali e di cospirazioni
antispagnuole.
Ma dopo oltre due secoli e mezzo, fra le riforme civili che si
attuarono nel Regno di Napoli sotto i Napoleonidi, si ripensò anche alla
antica Accademia del Pontano, della quale era rimasta una memoria circondata
di riverenza; un gruppo di
dotti, di scienziati e di letterati, radunati in casa di Giustino Fortunato (
Rionero sul Vulture 1777-Napoli 1862 ), la fece
risorgere, e i
sessantasette volumi dei suoi Atti attestano che non fu inoperosa.
Ma nel 1934 il governo fascista, che si era dato
a immischiarsi nelle cose delle accademie
e a
imporre a queste giuramenti politici,
pensò addirittura di sopprimere
la Pontaniana, col pretesto che
a Napoli
c' erano due accademie, e
ciò infrangeva la legge
dell' unità,
sacra a quell' alto regime.
Rammento che il provvedimento
fu cosi bene eseguito che la
biblioteca rimase abbandonata, in
preda di chiunque entrasse nell'edificio di Tarsia ; Io, avvertito di ciò
dall'ultimo Presidente, Pasquale del Pezzo, mandai segretamente, per mezzo di
un amico, un appunto ad un impiegato, che sapevo a me devoto, del Ministero
dell'Istruzione, suggerendogli di telegrafare immediatamente al Rettore dell'
Università affinchè consegnasse
la biblioteca al segretario della
Reale Accademia di scienze morali e politiche o alla direzione della
Biblioteca Nazionale. E così avvenne.
M' illusi d' aver
salvato quella biblioteca , che conteneva circa 3800 volumi ,
e serbava un bellissimo
codice miniato del De
liberalitate del Pontano , quattro volumi di
documenti sull' antica
Accademia messi insieme
nel Settecento da Gian
Vincenzo Meola, che,
avendoli ricevuti dagli eredi del marchese
Arditi per mezzo della
nostra socia Enrichetta
Carafa d'
Andria , ebbi l' onore
di persentare all' Accademia.
Serbava, inoltre, manoscritti del
Pietro Napoli- Signorelli
e tutti
i lavori giudicati
dall' Accademia
nei concorsi che regolarmente bandiva
Ma nove
anni dopo , nel 1943, nei pochi giorni che
le soldatesche germaniche
tennero Napoli e dintorni,
furono da queste, per vendetta e
con freddo proposito ,
bruciate, insieme col nostro glorioso
e secolare
Archivio di Stato, le biblioteche della Società
Reale e della
Pontaniana.
.
Ciò non
ostante, l' anno
appresso, 1944, l' Accademia,
spoglia di tutto , spiritualmente
risorse, raccolse i
suoi vecchi soci , ne
nominò di
nuovi, ed ebbe forze
giovani a
sua disposizione
sotto la
presidenza della chimica
Maria Bakunin, insegnante
nella nostra Università,
validamente coadiuvata
dal segretario
generale Riccardo
Filangieri Superate le
difficoltà finanziarie, cominciò a
ricomporre una
biblioteca e
a pubblicare i suoi Atti,
dei quali
questo è
il primo
volume della
nuova serie , curato
con alta
competenza dal
vicepresidente Fausto Nicolini…………..
Il primo
volume è interessante anche perchè riporta i verbali delle sedute del
periodo 1944-1948. Il primo verbale reca la data del 12 Novembre 1944.
L'Accademia si riunisce nella sala Tasso degli Archivi di
Stato offerta dal socio Riccardo Filangieri. Su proposta del Comitato
viene eletto il Consiglio della
Accademia che risulta così costituito :
-
Presidente Onorario lo storico e filosofo Benedetto Croce socio dal
1892
-
Presidente Maria Bakunin
socio dal 1905
-
Vice Presidente il giurista e papirologo ma anche Ministro di Grazia e
Giustizia e Pubblica Istruzione (1944-1945 ), Vincenzo Arangio-Ruiz socio dal
1928.
-
Segretario Generale lo storico ed archivista
Riccardo Filangieri socio dal 1927.
-
Segretario Aggiunto il letterato Emanuele Ciafardini socio dal 1929.
-
Tesoriere il matematico Enrico Ascione socio dal 1912.
-
Amministratori il letterato Guido della Valle socio dal 1921 e lo zoologo
Umberto Pierantoni socio dal 1928.
Nello stesso
periodo il 15 Febbraio 1944 furono eletti, su proposta del
Comitato dei Dieci ( Bakunin, De Lorenzo, Nicolini, Pierantoni, Omodeo,
Arangio-Ruiz, Quagliarello, Carrelli, Cacciopoli , Filangieri ) , nella Classe
seconda ( Scienze Naturali ), due
soci stranieri che si rivelarono di grande aiuto per l'Accademia :
Il Generale
USA Edgard Erskine Hume, da
civile Chief Military Surgeon
Association.
Il Colonnello
scozzese George Robert Gayre of Gayre, da civile Direttore dello Istituto di
Antropologia della Università di Edimburgo.
Alla fine della Presidenza Bakunin,
trascorso cioè il triennio, il
matematico tesoriere Ascione presentò un bilancio positivo per L.569.000. I
soci erano in numero di 121 ( oggi 237 ). Essi avevano pubblicato e lavorato
alacremente ma non ricevettero, come nella tradizione, alcun stipendio
nè vitto nè alloggio.
Il successivo
triennio ebbe come Presidente Fausto Nicolini e come Segretario Generale
Riccardo Filangieri.
Alla fine del 1948 l'Accademia era così composta
nelle Classi :
-
Scienze Matematiche, Presidente Mario Gleyeses, segretario Carlo
Miranda, soci 29.
-
Scienze Naturali, Presidente Gaetano Quagliarello, Segretario Geremia
D'Erasmo, Soci 43.
-
Scienze Morali , Presidente
Romualdo Trifone, Segretario Ludovico De Simone, Soci 27.
-
Storia, Archeologia, e Filologia, Presidente Amedeo Maiuri, Sergretario
Nicola Nicolini , Soci 31.
-
Lettere e Belle Arti, Presidente
Fausto Nicolini, Segretario Francesco Sbordone, Soci 22.
Dunque a
reggere la prima Presidenza della ACCADEMIA
fu Maria Bakunin, una chimica.Come mai Croce la preferì ad altri ?.
Maria Bakunin
, Marussia per gli amici, la Signora per gli altri, era nata in Siberia
a Krasnojarsk il 2 Febbraio 1873, figlia del
rivoluzionario e filosofo russo il principe Michail Aleksandrovic e di
Antossia Kwrathovoska,
(cratovoska) figlia di un deportato politico polacco.
Dopo un lungo periodo trascorso in Siberia dove il Bakunin scontava
una condanna a vita l'intera famiglia con i figlioletti Carlo, Sofia, e Maria
riuscì a riparare in Europa. Morto il padre a Berna nel 1876, Antossia ed i
figli vennero a Napoli prendendo alloggio in una bella villa di Capodimonte di
proprietà di un noto socialista l'avvocato Gambuzzi
che il Bakunin dovette conoscere in una delle tante incursioni segrete
a Napoli,città prediletta dal Bakunin
che la riteneva il luogo ove
meglio erano realizzati i suoi ideali anarchici. Dopo poco Antossia sposò il
Gambuzzi dalla cui unione nacque
una figlia Tatiana.
Maria ebbe la sua
educazione a Napoli; frequentò il Liceo Umberto
e si laureò con grande onore nel 1895 in chimica. Poco dopo sposava
Agostino Oglialoro-Todaro direttore dello Istituto di Chimica Generale
della Università di Napoli
Segnalo alcune
date al Biografo :
1909-
Professore di Chimica Applicata presso la Scuola Politecnica di Napoli
1911-Professore
di Chimica Tecnologica Organica sempre presso la stessa Scuola.
1936-
Professore di Chimica Industriale presso la Scuola Politecnica.
1940- Professore di Chimica Organica
presso la Facoltà di
Scienze della Università di Napoli fino al 1948 anno in cui il milanese Luigi
Panizzi occupò la cattedra di chimica organica.
Per il biografo è necessario sapere
che le date relative alla vita di Maria Bakunin non sono sempre di
facile interpretazione perchè spesso fu preso, come riferimento della data di
nascita un certificato di
battesimo ove la piccola Maria aveva già 8 anni circa.
Maria Bakunin, fu una grande
scienziata, donna forte e coraggiosa fino alla audacia
da taluni ritenuta violenta
e prepotente. Esercitò un forte potere su chiunque, uomo o donna che fosse,
ricco o povero, debole o potente. Fu temuta e riverita da tutti e nessuno si
ribellò.Ma non fu sempre cosi. In una sessione di esami del 1941 un ufficiale
in divisa si presentò a sostenere l'esame di chimica organica ( secondo una
disposizione Ministeriale i militari in divisa godevano di molte agevolazioni
e non potevano essere bocciati). La Signora l'apostrofò : cosa fa lei qui così
travestito ? L' ufficiale, sentendosi offeso, mise mano alla pistola e solo
l'intervento tempestivo ed intelligente dello Ing. Bonifazi evitò una
tragedia.
Rivelò un carattere forte e generoso fin da giovinetta.
Quando passeggiando per via Toledo in calesse con i fratellini,
riusci, a domare il cavallo
improvvisamente imbizzarito o
quando caduta la sorellina Sofia in un pozzo di Capodimonte si fece calare
essa stessa nel pozzo riuscendo ad afferarla per i capelli.
Quando i Tedeschi nel 1943 misero a fuoco le biblioteche di via
Mezzocannone, la Bakunin si sedette in prossimità delle
fiamme incrociando le braccia. Il tenente tedesco comandante,
stupefatto da tanto coraggio dette ordine di ritirarsi ed i danni furono meno
gravi.
Io penso che Maria
Bakunin fosse la persona adatta a
guidare in quel periodo di
violenti emergenze e di forti contrasti l’Accademia e che quindi la scelta
di Croce fosse giusta.
La Signora abitava,con alcuni gatti, in locali ampi e tetri
attigui al numero civico 8 ed ai quali si accedeva da una porticina.
Quando usciva di casa per recarsi all' Istituto al civico n° 4, vi era un
fuggi fuggi generale, mentre l'Istituto Chimico appariva straordinariamente
operoso. La Bakunin era molto dura ed esigente con il personale. Ho una sua
pubblicazione scientifica dove nell'angolo destro in alto è scritto :
prendere a calci Vincenzino ( il custode ) perchè non si è fatto le basette.
Ma se qualcuno di loro si ammalava allora correva a visitarli ed ad
assisterli.
Dopo la seduta Accademica che allora aveva inizio alle ore 11, i
soci erano invitati a colazione. Assidui furono i Professori Torelli, Masone,
de Lorenzo, Bassani, Longo, Del Pezzo, De Dominicis, e poi Giordani, Ippolito,
Carrelli, D'Erasmo, Malquori, Cacciopoli. Si parlava di Scienza e di affari
Accademici come al tempo del Pontano.
A differenza dai tempi del Pontano
i cibi erano molto semplici e sempre gli stessi : pasta nera scondita,
carne di cavallo e patate lesse, un caffè di semi
da Lei stessa tostati . All'inizio tre o quattro gatti balzavano sul
grande tavolo e finivano col mangiare nel piatto dell'ospite. Per me che non
amavo gli animali la scena era disgustosa. Un giorno la Signora in vena di
confidenze mi disse : ricordatevi
Nicolaus (mi dava sempre del voi) che se uno degli ospiti torna
costui è uno di cui fidarsi.
Durante la
guerra autorità civili, militari e religiose sedettero al tavolo della
Bakunin o vennero semplicemente
per aiuto e consiglio.
Nel 1943 la città di
Napoli era priva di acqua, luce, gas, lacera, affamata distrutta nei suoi
edifici. Frequentatori della Bakunin erano anche i
due ufficiali militari alleati ( forse presentati da Croce o forse da
un certo Montagna come risulta da una lettera indirizzata al Conte Filangieri
e trovata di recente dalla Cancelliera
Signorina Badessa ) il
Generale Hume ed il colonello
Gayre of Gayre. Un giorno Hume
dopo uno pranzo particolarmente squallido,
chiese alla Signora : ha bisogno di qualche cosa?
La inaspettata risposta fu
: alcool ed ovatta. Migliaia di litri di alcool e centinaia di chili di ovatta
riempirono via Mezzocannone. Batuffoli di
ovatta imbevuti di alcool servirono a riscaldare
le nostre provette mentre bruciatori alimentati ad alcool facevano
funzionare le nostre attrezzature e i gruppi elettrogeni.
I due
ufficiali di passaggio per Napoli seguendo la linea del fronte furono molto
generosi con la Accademia Pontaniana con regali di libri e denaro adoperandosi
perchè l'Accademia non divenisse un alloggio per le truppe .Dopo la guerra il
contatto con questi nostri soci fu perso.
Il mio incontro e il successivo rapporto con la Bakunin fu diverso
da quello che interviene generalmente fra
docente ed allievo. Esso è rimasto nella
mia memoria.
Nella primavera del 1941 studente
del secondo anno di Economia e Commercio, mi trovai dalle parti di Via
Mezzocannone ed entrai a Chimica. Un luogo triste, un silenzio
rotto solo da un lontano brusio di macchine,
molto diverso da Economia di Via Caracciolo. Entrai in una camera del
secondo piano ove incontrai una giovane assistente romana, la Dottoressa
Giuseppina Riverso che era stata
mandata dal Prof.Giacomello di Roma ad elaborare i dati ottenuti ai Raggi X
degli acidi orto e para nitrofenilcinnammici. Mentre parlavamo venne una
Signora dal portamento fiero che mi sbirciò mentre si informava con la
Riverso di come andassero i calcoli. Dopo una settimana la Bakunin credendomi
uno studente di Chimica mi fece chiamare e mi propose di entrare nel suo
laboratorio per fare una ricerca sui pigmenti
neri. Non dissi che ero uno
studente di Economia e Commercio ma provvidi subito a cambiare Facoltà e mi
misi a studiare la chimica organica frequentando intensamente il laboratorio
e ciò mi portò ad essere
additato come uno studente modello Litigai spesso con la Bakunin perché ero
uno spirito libero. Liti violente diverse da quelle che intervengono fra
docente e discente. Ricordo la
lite, quando, suo assistente, contro la mia volontà, mi cedette al Prof.Luigi
Panizzi il nuovo Professore di Chimica Organica o quando trasferitosi il
Panizzi a Roma io lo volli seguire. Ciò nonostante la sua mano protettrice mi
seguì sempre fino alla cattedra
ed oltre..
Verso la fine della sua vita usciva
raramente di casa ma si dedicava
allo studio delle lingue. In questo periodo il Cardinale Ursi le faceva visita
di frequente. Un giorno disse : questa donna è come
l'arcangelo dalla spada
fiammeggiante.
Il 17 Aprile 1960 Maria Bakunin moriva
nella sua casa di via Mezzocannone. Scompariva un professore
universitario autoritario ma di grande fascino e prestigio. Il
ricordo per il
contributo dato da Maria
Bakunin accanto a Croce alla rinascita della
Accademia Pontaniana
non potrà essere facilmente cancellato .
www.tightrope.it/nicolaus/index.htm
Napoli 30 Gennaio 2003.
In memory of
Professor Giuseppe Prota
(1938-2003)
G.Prota
‘’ Melanins, Melanogenesis, Melanocytes
: looking at their
functional significance from the chemist viewpoint ‘’ Pigment Cell Res.,
13, 283-293, 2000.
-----------------------------------------------
Internet
communique of Prof.R.A.Nicolaus.
It is with deep
regret that we announce the death in
His many important
contributions to the chemistry of pigmentation include
the structure of
pheomelanins ( 1958-1971 ), with M.Piattelli, L. Minale, E. Fattorusso,
R.Scarpati G. Scherillo, A. Bolognese, G.Cimino, G.Sodano, S.De Stefano,
C.Santacroce, D.Sica, R.A.Nicolaus
.
Professor Prota was
able after the student revolt of 68, to continue with success the study of
pigmentation until his death.
He published over 200
scientific papers and many chapters and reviews.
His book ‘’
Melanins and melanogenesis ‘’
AP,
################################################################
The
Protas : a family of scientists
A
family heirloom by Dr. J.T.Bagnara taken
from PASPCR, March, 2003 .
I
first met Peppe at the VIIth IPCC held in Seattle in 1969 when he burst upon
the scenes with an elegant elaboration of pheomelanin chemistry derived from
his work with his Neapolitan mentor, Rodolfo Nicolaus.
Peppe
and I immediately developed a
happy rapport
enhanced by his
being a Neapolitan and my
having similar genetic
roots. About a year later
we began to expand our
friendship when I went to
the Stazione
Zoologica di Napoli to work for nine months.
Peppe was doing some of his research
at the Stazione
and Giovanna was working
there independently doing electron –microscopy.
Lou and I soon began to
interact socially with Peppe,
Giovanna, and their two sons, Francesco and Paolo, who were then little boys.
In addition to luxuriating
together on Neapolitan cuisine,
we began to make family outings with them.
Since by nature , I have
always been
a jock ,I took
advantage of my status as a Fullbright Scholar and I obtained a permit
to utilize NATO recreational and athletic activities in the area.Among
the available facilities was a large park, north of Naples near
Pozzuoli.It was a large and flat expanse that was the crater of an ancient
volcano. A children’s playground was included with nearby picnic facilities.
I remember vividly having taken the Protas there
and I call still see Francesco and Paolo on the swings and running
like the wind on the green glass as we picnicked together.It was
a far cry from the center of
In
that same area we had another
memorable experience : although both Peppe and Giovanna were born and bred in
Peppe
introduced us to Professor Nicolaus
and his
wife who kindly
invited us to their home for dinner.
There was always much humor in
their presence because they were
each characters. Lou
remembers a funny incident at dinner related
to the fact that Europeans
and Italians in particular,
unlike Americans , serve each food item
on different dishes. Professor
Nicolaus remarked that he
preferred to have everything served
on the same plate in order to
reduce the intake of dishwashing detergents
which surely clung to the washed dishes! An
other time that Peppe and
Giovanna took us to visit the Nicolaus
s was late in the
evening , and
I believe unannounced, after
we had been out to supper not far
from their home. We
were greeted warmly,
and Signora
Nicolaus insisted that we
be served a digestive which
normally one would think to be
an after dinner
liqueur. Instead, la
Signora prepared us each a nice dish of spaghetti , which Lou
recalls had a sauce of aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil ). Despite
our having
had full stomachs, the
pasta was eaten with gusto.
In retrospect, perhaps
pasta is a better digestive
agent than is hard liquor
which probably impedes digestion
by denaturing appropriate
digestive enzymes!.
During
this period , the Protas
and I initiated a research
collaboration that solved an important
problem for me. In the mid-
sixties, when
John Taylor was a
graduate student of mine, he and I
discovered that the melanosomes
of adult Mexican
leaf frogs were unusually large,
fibrous in nature, and contained a
red pigment that was not melanin. For
various reasons, we
did not further pursue this
discovery, but while I was at
the Stazione, I
presented Peppe
with frog skin for analysis We
thought that the red pigment might
be a phaeomelanin relative.
We soon found that this was
not the case, so we embarked on a project to elucidate the chemical
nature of this red pigment. Over
Dinner in our small apartment in the heart of
In
the years
following our return from
Naples, my contact with
Peppe was
mostly at professional
meetings, and at least
twice , Peppe came to Tucson.
On one occasion, in
1975, following the IXth IPCC in Houston
when Peppe came to
spend a few
days with us, we had a glimpse
of his intellectual side . Peppe
began telling us about a very interesting
gentleman, Don Andrea Giovene, who
lived in his apartment building on Via
F.P.Michetti, and whom he wanted us to meet on our next trip to
In
1985 Lou and I again lived in
Since
1985 we have returned to the
It
has been several days since you
sent us the terrible news
of Peppe’ s passing , and the
sense of a deep loss
stays with us. Fortunately,
as I told you in my
initial response, Lou and I
have that happy memory of
lunch with
Peppe at Marechiaro almost
three years ago . Marechiaro
is one of the old fishermen’
s ports of
Joe Bagnara
Agrup G., Au P.C., Artusi G., Allen B., Aureli G., Albert D.M, Allegri G.,
Ambani J., Akiu S., Albert K., Abramson M.B., Albrect L.,
Achiba Y., Alvarado-Swaisgood A.E., Andrade-Gordon P., Abeysekera R.M.,
Agren H., Anderson G.R., Allegroni
M., Ardonceau J., Adams R.M., Appella E., Alexander M., Arimondo E.,
Allamandola L.J.,Aimes., Aroca P., Aisen P., Aoki S., Ali S., Ambrose M.,
Al-Rasheed R., Alberts J.J., Ahn G., Aoyama M, Aoyama M.,
B
Bechguard K., Blois M.S., Borovansky J., Bernstein M.P., Binns G.F.,
Ballard D.G., Berardi V., Bickle Q.D., Beerman F., Birbeck M.S.C., Bazelon M.,
Badger G.M., Brown L., Bertazzo A., Balch C.M., Bergstrom A., Bickle Q D.,
Basrur V., Brodsky M.A., Babbitt B.W., Bartlett P.N., Balkema G.W., Bishop
C.A., Blarzino C., Brewington T., Bolivar-Marinez L.E., Bologna J., Behnke J.
M., Bergstrom A., Becke A.D., Bernal J.D., Brabec C.J., Barbetta M., Bolognese
A., Bell A.A., Baccichetti F., Bocchi V.. Barton D.H.R., Bonomi R., Becker
R.O., Bowen E.J., Bassett C.A.L., Butenandt A., Bagnara J.T., Brunello F.,
Brown H.W., Burger A., Benathan M., Baker R.A., Berg K., Bulow G., Bolt A.G.,
Berger M., Bernstein H., Baweja R., Bakunin M., Biondi A., Brackman, W., Beer
R.J.S, Broadhurst T., Benassi C.A., Brunet T.B., Bouchilloux S., Barden H.,
Bu’Lock J.D.,
Borg D., Betsill M.L., Bayer E., Bergmann W., Bezzi M., Berlin A., Blinova
M.I., Borgioli G., Bianchi S., Bora N., Buta C., Brunner H., Bernhagen J.,
Breeze D., Barth S.W., Bertile F., Busch J.D., Bullock G., Baumont R., Beer
J.Z., Babalola O.E., Biester H., Boucher E., Berthoud H.R., Berson J.F.,
Borges C.R., Ben Khodher M., Ben-Shachar D., Brian Nofainger J., Bundred P.E.,
Bruggeman C., Barrot M., Bittencourt J.C., Brunk U.T., Bailey N.J.,
Baranger P., Brunk U.T., Borchers R., Biester H., Berthoud H.R., Berson J.F.,
Borges C.R.,
C
Cardin
E., Costa M.G., Corradini P.,Celentano F., Caldas M.J.,Chillemi R.,
Commoner B., Cooper L.N.,Coleman L. B., Cohen M.J.,Cervinka O., Chance
R.R.,Coccia R., Cowan D.O., Cheng
J., Camacho- HubnerA., Chacon J.N., Clar E., Califano L., Croonbridge C. J.,
Cannella C.,Cioslowski J., Cassidy
D., Callegari C., Clancy C.M.,
Cotzias G., Costanzo M., Jimenez-Cervantes C., Casnati
G., Chang C. K., Couris A., Chen J., Cohen M.J.,
Chio S.S., Collier J.H., Croonbridge C., Carlson J. A., Chen C.T.,
Cyvin S. Czira G., Collman J., Cini C.,Chavin C.Cott H. B., Caglioti L.,
Cariello L., Crescenzi S., Capasso S., Chen Y. M., Cimino G., Chioccara F.,
Chiovini J., Colin-Nicol J.A., Chierici L., Commoner B., Corry P.M., Culp L.
H.,Cappelletti R., Crippa P.R., Chakraborty A.
K.,Chakraborty D.P.,Chedekel M.R., Carlberg M.,
Cervinka O., Costa C., Cheshire M. V., Cranwell P. A. , Corby P., Casadevall
A., Chan A.C., Chenug F.C., Collins C.A., Choi B.,
Christensen B.M., Cruze J.M., Croy R.R., Caccavo F. jr, Chen S.H.,
Canario A.V., Conte P., Cardin D.J., Chaillou E., Combet E., Criscuolo F.,
Collins C.D., Cooke C.M., Chen J., Cho M., Chung H., Cheng M.L., Chiu D.T.,
Crouzet C., Cornu S., Corkern M.,
D
Dilly
P.N., Devaney E., Denton E.J., Dzierzega –Lecznar A., Danieli R., Delhaes
P., Dink J., Delhaes P., Duncan
M.A., Daum N., Denisov V.N., Dennis J., Dyakonov V., Denisov V.N., Dudis D.,
Dao L.H., Dragotti G., D’Ischia M., Deflandre
A., Dietz T.G., Dover J.S., Duff G.A., Dovinola V.,
Dunnell R., Dawis W.G., Donnellan B., Duchon J., De Stefano S.,
D’Agostino M., Danise B., Discher C.A., Dini A., Dukler S., Dunne L.G.,
Deibel R.B., Drya T.B., De Rosa S., Das K.C., De Antoni A., Dall’Olio A.,
D’Ascola G., Darrow K.K., Davis E.A., Dieguez C., Dzierzega-Lecznar A.,
Double K.L., DiLeone R.J., De Leo F., de Hoog G.S.,
Doherty S.J., Date Y., Deuschl G., Dijkstra C., Dekker J., Dai S.,
Dadarwal K.R., Domenech J., Di Bilio A.J., Defina N.,
E
Ellis
R.A., Edelstein L., Epstein J.H., Ellis D.H., Evans E.L., Eckels D.E.,
Elofsson R., Edholm W., Egami T.Elsenbaumer R., Endo M., Emery V.J., Ecomble
M.M, Eisner M., Eygendal D., Ekol T.M, Eisenhofer G.,
Elias C.F., Eglite E., Egeberg P.K., Elleder
M., Elsner P.,
F
Fisher
L.R., Florey E., Fingerman M., Fuiji R., Fox S.W., Fox D.L., Fox H.M.,
Fitzpatrick T.B., Fattorusso E., Fleschman R.D., Forrest F.M., Forrest I.S.,
Felmeister A., Fiorino C., Fujinuma Y., Felix C.C., Filatovs J., Flesch P.,
Fujita K., Falshaw C.P., Floyd A.J., Faraga P.S., Forrester A.R.,
Funasaka Y.,Fischer H., Fowlks W.L., Frazer A., Fontana M., Ferraris
J., Fasano M., Foster H., Fuso F.,Frommer G.E., Fenichel G., Fernberg J.,
Frummer J.E., Favretto D., Foppoli C., Furetto D., Fujikawa K., Frangioni G.,
Funahashi H., Foldenyi R., Reyes M.G., Faraldi F., Fukushima M., Fellman D.,
Fanget B., Franchi A., Fujioka Y.,
Fukushima M., Figuerola J., Farmer P.J., Fahimi I.J., Fahimi I.,
G
Goldman
J.M., Goodwin T.W., Gettens R.J., Gordon M., Ghiara G., Giordano F., Griffits
D.A., Guggenheim M., Greiner A.C., Graham D.G., Goodchild N.T., Gudowska E.,
Gonzales F.J., Glees P., Galvano D.S., George P., Griffith J.S., GutmanF.,
Gouterman M., Goodings E.P., Garito A.F., Gross B., Gan E.V., Graven R.A.,
Graupner W., Graham D.G., Georgevich A., Garcia-Borron J.C., Goetz N., Gallas
G.M., Graner P., Grencis R.K., Gossauer A., Gilpin-Brown J.B., Gomez P.F.,
Guidoin R., Graven R.A., Gadd G.E., Gozzi S., Golden P., Garner J.M., Gilard
P., Gesualdo I., Garcia M.C., Gualillo O., Garcia-Rivera J., Gerlach M., Gomez
B.L., Georgescu D., Gummer C., Gallas J.M., Guan J.L., Geraedts K., Gurol
M.D., Gehring C.A., Gu Z., Guo H., Gu B., Gunasekara A.S., Gavrilova V.P.,
Gidanian S., Gomez B.L., Ghiorse W.C.,
H
Hilti.B.,
Hruza G.J., Hountas A., Hua
C., Hepworth D. G., Herve M., Heeger
A.J., Hikichi K.,
Hearing V.J., Horak V., Hodgson
A.J., Hirshinger J., Hach P., Hudson
T.W., Hindemith A., Homann K.H.,
Haddon R. C., Harrist T., Huang B. R., Hummelen J.C., Hawking S., Hare J.P.,
Hirsch A., Helgaker T., Hurley L., Huh F.B., Hayes M.H.B.,
Hannay N.B., Herzfeld K., Hay J. M., Hu F., Hegnaver H., Hearing V.L.,
Hansson C., Hashimoto K., Hark M.H., Helmy
F.M., Halprin K.M., Hamada G., Hultin T., Haberman H.F., Hempel
K.,Hagstrom B., Harley – Mason J., Haworth R.D., Hall K., Hui I., Hason M.,
Harem R.H., Havinga E., Hyde L.S., Hermstedt E., Hansson N., Holmes C.,
Hearing V.J., Ho L.C., Hamilton A.J., Hay R.J., Henzi P., Haq I., Hillyer
J.F., Hughes P.M., Hachicha R., Hsu C.S., Hung M.Y., Halim M., Heo M.Y., Ho
H.Y., Huang Y.W., Hur J., Harper D.C., Howeler M.
I
Ishikawa
K., Ito S., Isenberg I.,Iaccheo A., Ingram D.J.E., Iin P.S.,
Ichisakhi M.,
Iwuoha E.J., Iong L.K.J., Inhaffen H.,Ingber D.E.,
Iembo A., Imperato F., Imokawa G.,
Isotalo H., Isaac R.E.,
Iwuoha E.I., Izumi Y.,Isutsumi A.,
Ikeda R., Ikeda K., Iqbal J.,
Iihara K., Ichikawa H., Iavmetdinov I.S.,
J
Jiminez-Cervantes
C., Jeffs P.W., Joshua
G.W.P., Jastrzebska M.M., Jara
J.R., Jacobsen C.S., Jimbow K.,
Jonsson D., Jellinger K., Jahns K., Jasne S., Jin H.Y., Jacobson E.S., Johnson
S.M., Jeong J.H., Jo B.K., Joone G.K., Judd S.J., Juhna T., Jin B.,
K
Kon
K.S., Korner A.M., Kertesz D., Kbatcha-Dourian C.K., Karasek M., Keyzer H.,
Karremann G., Kwork L., Kirkpatriek D.S.,
Kono R., Korytowskr W., Kukita A., Kodja A., Kato T., Kiyota M., Kaul
B. L., Katzlan R., Kononova M.M., Kaiser A., Kuzloz J.E., Kanazawa K.K.,
Krounbi M., Kzoesche P., Komoto
M., Korin B., Kasuya A., Kikuchi K., Kakoussis V., Kagedal B., Kobayashi I.,
Konmehi G., Konradsson P., Kano R., Kertesz D.,
Kurban A.K., Korner A., Kirby G.W., King M.W., KrotoH.W., Kushimoto T.,
King J.A., Kajzar F., Kienz E., Kim K.,Kondon
H., Keynes R.D., Kempf V.R., Kym P.R.,
Kauser S., Kamlmykova N.V., Kuzminykh E.V., Kitchell B.E.,
Kaplan H.J., Koeberle M.J., Kangawa K., Kamat P.V., Kohno S., Kim H.P.,
Klavins M., Kuske C.R., Korossy K.S., Kobayashi N., Kim C.G., Kim N.R.,
Kawasaki M., Koczorowska E., Kinniburgh D.G., Koroleva O.V., Keppler F.,
Keppler F., Karlsson S.A., Keppler F., Knicker H.,
L
Laey
M. E., Levi A. C., Lewis J.S.,
Little W.A., Lutzner M.A., Lovas F.J., Leising G., Land E.J., Lazzeretti P.,
Lagouvardos D., Lewis P.A.,
Lambert C., Lovelock J., Lozano J.A., Leidner C.R.,
Langer R., Lee C., Ljach S.P.,
Larsson B., Lorner A.B., Linbladh C., Lamb J.H., Lee H.R., Laxmyz L.,
Levorato E., Lise M., Liberatore R., Longuet – Higgirs H.S.,
Lictowitz T.A., Lynton
E.A., Lyon L.E., Linert W., Lopez
M., Liu Y., Littrell K.C., Lammle K., Liou R.M., Lengyel Z., Lucius R.,
Lanisnik Rizner T., Lee K.T., Lee K.S., Latifoglu A., Lant P., Lee H.S., Lutz
T.A., Lester J.N., LeBoeuf E.J., LU F.J., Liu Z., Lokshin B.V.,
M
Morrica
S., Masaki A.,Miyake Y., Mishima Y., Milosa M., Menkes A., Murphy
D.W., Murray S., Mailly D., Montague P.M., Martinez- Liarte J.H.,
Mortensen K., Marconi G., Mavrin B.N., Medrano J., Merkel M., Masciarelli G.,
Moos S.C., Margolis R.J., McCreery R.L., Maschler H., Meigs G., McGinness
J.E., Murphy G.F., Mousdis G.,
Martinez- Esparza M., McDevitt J.T., Misuraca G.,Mars U., Mayer C., Mommaas
A.M., Matsusaka H., Menter J.M., Mott N.F., Mihm M.C., Mosca L., Matsunaga J.,
Meyer D.J., Mishra S.N., Mackay
E., Malagoli M., Matsuoka L.Y., Manini P., Miljak M., Machadlay E., Montagna
W., Morton R.A.,Maling J.E., Minale L., Mazzarella L., Miyamoto M., Miner
R.W., Mason H.S., Macginitie G.E., Macginitie N., Merkle F.H., Mansour A.M.,
Menon J.A., Magno S., Mangoni L., Mauie D., Mahvi A., Moorhed W.D.,Mizutani
T.B., Massalski T.B., Miyake Y., Miura R., Mojamdar M., Musaio L., Morikawa
F., Mizuhira V., Marsden C.D.,
Moggi
A., Manzelli P., MacCarty P.,
MacColm R.L., Mazzonti G., Manske R.H.I., Millott N., Mulay I.L., Mulay L.N.,
Martino L., Moss S.C., Marks M.S., Morris-Jones R., Matsubara J., Manning
J.T., Matsui S., Manning J.T., Medhioub K., Murakami N., Mondal M.S.,
Matsukura S., Maes A., Mesquita R.M., Melo E., Murdoch I.E., Miyazaki Y.,
Mieda M., Miller S.A., Maho Y.L., Morimoto K., Milne C.J., Marneros A.G., Mao
J.D., L. Meyskens F., Marks M.S.,
N
Natta G., Nassau K., Nakagawa A., Nalwa H.S., Nishihira J., Newmann
P.R., Nicholls E.M., Norman P., Nicholson J.M., Nishihira J., Nirasawa T.,
Napolitano A., Negri F., Natanabe S., Nishina Y., Nakanara N., Nicolaus R.A.,
Nicolaus G.,Nicolaus B.J.R., Nicolaus B., Novales R.R., Nyhlen L.E., Novellino
E., Nardi G., Nicolson G.A., Narni G., Napolano E., Nicholls E.M., Nogurhi S.,
Nicol J.A.C., Nakayasu M., Nicholson J.M., Nieoullon A., Netsky M.G.,
Nitti D., Nosanchuk J.D., Nestler J.S., Nelson J.S., Nasri M., Nakazato
M., Naffrechoux E., Nosanchuk J.D., Nilsson S.E., Nakamura K., Nosanchuk J.D.,
O
Organisciak
D.T., Okkawara A., Okun M.R., Ortonne J.P., Omote Y., Oikawa A., Okazaki K.,
Ota
S.,
Ostrovskii X., Ovchinnikova O.A.,
O’Melia C.R., Oudart H., Olsen B.R., Oberg G.,
P
Pagani G.A., Pandey P.C., Perluigi
M., Pucci R., Prassides K.,
Prodolliet T., Paloheimo J., Papavassiliou G.C., Paus R., Pavel S., Palumbo
A., Percival N.C., Peter M.G., Prota G., Pezzella A.,
Plummer E.W., Pilowa B., Peristein J.H., Pennock J.L., Polla L.L.,
Peters H.K., Pieroni A., Puhalla J.E., Parisi G., Pullman A., Pullman B.,
Pigott F., Piscitelli C., Peterson E., Parks R.D., Polis B.D., Piattelli M.,
Panizzi L., Patel A.R., Pawelek J.M., Parakkal P.F., Palumbo A., Potts A.M.,
Piette L.H., Patil P.N., Persad S., Petrillo O., Pridham J.B., Pake G.E.,
Pathak M.A., Proctor P.H., Pritchard R.G., Pasenkiewicz- Giezula M., Pirie A.,
Prasad K., Park B.E., Potokin I.L., Piccolo A., Petrier C., Perminova I.V.,
Pugliese A., Pracht J., Patterson L.M., Pernot P.,
Q
Quevedo W.C., Quilico A., Qadeer
M.A.,
R
Rabenaus A., Ralph C.L., Rimington
C., Rubaw E.L., Rast D.M., Rowley B., Rosengren E., Rorsman H., Rosdahl I.,
Riley P.A., Rubin M., Rosengren A.M.,Ruffo A., Robertson A., Rienils K.G.,
Rebell G., Rizzotti M., Roy S., Rothman S., Reid T.W., Riento G.,
Reitz D.C., Rudolf P., Raynolds E. S.,
Rapi S., Roberts J. E., .,
Rossini S., Robinson
G.M., Reuther U., Ruani G.,
Rosseinsky M.J., Rihault M., Rosei M.A., Rowe
J. E., Ruud K., Ricca A., Robson N.C.,
Romberg H., Raposo G., Rudnicki M., Roffler-Tarlov S., Riederer P., Rigane H.,
Reyes M.G., Rydman R., Rosenstiel P., Roulin
A., Rosenstock B., Riediger T., Rechkemmer G., Raclot T., Raposo G., Roberts
J.C., Rollins D.E.,
S
Stout G.L., Seiji M., Santacroce
C., Sica D., Stix H., Stix M., Swan G.A., Steussi H., Szent-Gyorgyi A., Sams
W.M., Shimada H., Sokolski T.,
Salazar M., Scarpati R., Scherillo G., Sugiyama N., Scoffone E., Stravs-
Mombelli L., Sealy R.C., Succi G., Swartz H.M., Sidles P.H., Sarma T., Shimazu
T., Schmidli B., Sodano G.,
Spinella A., Stipanovich R.D., Swift R.S., Sturm K., Stone T.J., Sciuto S.,
Seraglia R., Schrieffer J.R., Simmons J.E., Steelink C., Sever R.J., Sidles
P.H., Stephens R.B., Sacli O.A., Simpson A.W., Sandam D.J., Stratton K.,
Sehultz T., Schultz T.D., Salmon M., Strzelecka T., Slawinska D., Slawinska
J., Slawinski J., Skotheim T.A., Stephens R. B., Somogyi
A., Sandman D.J., Seiberg M., Shirley L.M., Saffaro L., Smgyth M.R.,
Stubb H., Simon J.D.,Shepard R.S., Smith N.P.M.,Simmons J.G., Seraglia R.,
Schmidt C.E., Suzuki M., Sharlow
E., Shapiro S.S., Schultz T.D., Slawinski J., Sakamotlj M., Slominsk A.,
Schinina M.E., Siringo F., Schrodinger E., Sctt A., Sandford S.A., Scheibe G.,
Sugimoto H., Schiavolin M., Samuelson D.A., Sabbatini L., Shimao K., Seybold
P., Saito G., Sandford S.A., Spinelli N., Simpson R.T., Stachelberger
H., Shibata T., Salvi P.R., Sariciftci N.S., Solano F., Smith M:R.,
Stubb H., Schiavolin M., Selkirk M.E., Smalley R.E., Salinas
C., Sohmen E., Senaris R.M., Seoane L.M., Simon J.D., Sarna T., Stark R.E.,
Stepien K., Simon J.D., Sugita T., Shinoda T., Shimizu Y., Spanier J.,
Schallreuter K.U., Sulaimon S.S., Schimidt S.L. Shao H., Sun D., Sun S.L.,
Skellern G.G., Shimada M., Shimbara T., Sakurai T., Shioda S., Sievers J.,
Subramanian V., Sita L.V., Simon M., Suhn Y.L., Song S.Y., Shaw G., Saada A.,
Slawinski J., Sawada A., Schlautman M.A.,
Simpson M.I., Sundelin
S.P., Schmidt-Rohr K., Stepanova E.V., Shahandeh B., Sindhu S.S., Sharma H.R.,
Senar J.C., Scholer H.F., Soulard
R., Stoyanova I.,
T
Thomas M., Traldi P., Towsend J.,
Tollin G., Terry A.L., Trukhan E.M., Tucker-Abbott R., Thomson R.H., Tarasov
B.P.,Thathachari Y.T., Temussi P.A., Thivolet J., Tegner E., Takahashi H,
Theos A.C., Tian S., Tian H., Takahashi J., Thody A.J., Tobin D.J.,
Thiyagarajan P., Turick C.E., Tisa L.S., Tiquia S.M.,
Toshinai K., Terashima M., Tanaka S., Tramu G., Tillet Y., Ticknor
L.O., Tadokoro T., Tatsumi K., Tipping E., Tohidian N., Takeo K., Tian R.,
Tenza D., Theos A.C.,
U
Uesugi T., Uemura T., Urahe
K., Urzi C., Uno S.,
V
Venkataram K., Valencia J., Vekey
K., Vincent J.F.V., Vietra W.D., Vermeer B.J., Vas G., Vogliardi S., Visioli
F., Viator J.A., Vitzthum F., Vinodgopal K., Vancluysen J., Van Rensburg C.E.,
van Riemsdijk W.H., Vidotto V.,
W
Wolbarsht M.L., Walsh A. W., Weger
M., Whitaker D.W., Wortsman J.,
Walatka V., Whitley R.D., Wakabayasni T., Wudi F., Willis J.M.,
Willson J.H.M., Walton D. R. M., Wollenberger
U., Wallace G. G., Willie W., Wang Z.X., Weyl C., Wong J.Y., Wright P.G.,
Weeks G., Wakamatsu K., Wohrle D., Winder A.J., Wilczok J., Wilczok A.,
Wilgram G.F., Whittaker J. R., Wilcher M., Wyler H., Woodhead S., Williams-
Smith D. L., Wolfram L.J., Wehrli P.A., Waters W.A., Wertz E., Walter W.G.,
Wigner E. P., Warren B.E., Webb H., Wakamatsu K., Wilczok T., Wilkzok A.,
Wakamatsu K., Weinert E.E., Wilson C.G., Wang Q.P., Wang C.C., Wilms H.,
Wheeler M.H., Willie J.T., Whitham T.G., Wakamatsu K., Wilen B.M., Wu Z.,,
Wang X, Wihlmark U., Walker L.P., Wilkins D.G.,
X
Xing B.,
Y
Yamaoka T., Yoshizaki H., Young
T.E., Yamagashi F.G., YoshizakiH., Yee G.T., Yoshida H., Yang W., Yamashita
F., Yakushi K., Yacobson B.Y. , Ye T., Yan B., Youdim M.B., Yip W.W.,
Youngchim S., Yudintseva N.M., Yurlova N.A., Yu K.C., Yanagisawa M., Yamaguchi
Y., Yoon T.I., Yamaguchi K., Yoon J.,
Z
Ziegler I.G., Zanetti l., Zahlan
A.M., Zito R., Zeickson A.S., Zeller H.C., Zvaifer N., Zeuli L., Zongo A.,
Zajac G.W., Zambonin P.G., Zheng L.S., Zambounis J.Z., Zhang Z., Zhang Y.,
Zajded A., Zuppiroli L., Zeise L., Zerbetto F., Zamboni R., Zschack M.,
Zerpner D., Zanasi R., Zisk M.B., Zhizhin G.N., Zakhidov A.A., Zucca F.A.,
Zecca I., Zajdel A., Zajac G.W. Zipper H., Zecca L., Zmudzka B.Z., Zhong S.,
Zheng H.,
###################################################
Link 13 E-mail office
Per domande relative alla
materia nera BCM (Black Cell Matter) e BSM (Black Synthetic Matter) rivolgersi
a :
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mario.piattelli@poste.it
(chemistry)
rnicolaus@tightrope.it (chemistry)
parisi@unina.it
(zoology)
bologne@unina.it
(chemistry)
scherillo@unina.it
(chemistry)
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(biochemistry)
giancarlo_nicolaus@merck.com
(biochemistry)
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(conductivity)
drjem3@netscape.net
(conductivity)
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(solid state)
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.
Forum di discussione
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Roma,
17 Ottobre 2000
Sono uno studente di Chimica, con indirizzo "Chimica
dei Sistemi Biologici", presso l'Università degli Studi di Roma "La
Sapienza". Inizio ora il quinto anno di corso, devo ancora sostenere tre
esami e ho iniziato il lavoro sperimentale di tesi. Sono stato molto contento
di apprendere che la Società Chimica Italiana ha una Divisione di Chimica dei
Sistemi Biologici, in quanto già da diverso tempo ho avuto modo di
sperimentare in prima persona le difficoltà, come chimico, di interessarmi ai
sistemi biologici. Non so se si tratta di una realtà limitata all'università
che frequento, ma sta di fatto che la maggior parte dei professori più
influenti all'interno del Dipartimento di Chimica non vedono di buon occhio
questo indirizzo e gli studenti che lo seguono, e di conseguenza, in più
occasioni, io e i miei colleghi di corso abbiamo avuto motivo di sentirci
considerati chimici di "serie B", perfino da parte di
alcuni colleghi degli altri indirizzi. Io sono molto soddisfatto del percorso
formativo che sto svolgendo e non mi sento affatto un "biologo
mancato", come mi sono sentito più volte definire dai professori di cui
sopra, però sono un po' preoccupato per queste incomprensioni tra chimici e
biologi, in cui rischio di rimanere schiacciato. Più vado avanti negli studi
e più prendo consapevolezza del fatto che, a mio modesto parere, la Chimica
dei Sistemi Biologici ha una sua ragion d'essere come studio delle basi
molecolari della vita e dei processi che ne sono alla base, senza per questo
doversi sovrapporre alla Biochimica o alla Biologia Molecolare, ma anzi
integrandosi con esse, e senza necessariamente limitarsi alla determinazione
di strutture di macromolecole biologiche o alla sintesi di molecole a
potenziale attività biologica. Un chimico dei sistemi biologici, pur
curandosi di avere delle solidi basi di Biologia, deve dunque, secondo me,
trovare la propria identità, distinta da quella del biologo molecolare o del
biochimico, sia sul piano scientifico che "politico". Già in pochi
mesi di lavoro sperimentale per la tesi, diviso tra il Dipartimento di Chimica
e il Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, ho avuto modo di constatare le
incomprensioni, spesso proprio a livello di linguaggio, tra i due dipartimenti
e il ruolo di intermediario che quindi un chimico dei sistemi biologici può
ad esempio avere. Se dovessi cioè dare una definizione professionale e
scientifica del chimico dei sistemi biologici, direi che potrebbe essere colui
che è in grado di capire il problema biologico e impostare il progetto di
ricerca con tutte le competenze chimiche che gli sono proprie. Tutto questo si
inserirebbe bene nelle collaborazioni interdisciplinari (dove poi chimici
organici, chimici fisici, biologi molecolari, medici, ecc... porterebbero le
proprie specifiche competenze). Collaborazioni che però in un mondo
accademico dove spesso ognuno cura solo il proprio orticello sono spesso
difficili da attuare. Recentemente, proprio nel curare queste pagine Web, ho
avuto modo di constatare, ad esempio, che in molti atenei italiani non è
previsto che uno studente di Chimica possa seguire un certo numero di corsi a
Scienze Biologiche, limitando la propria formazione biologica ad un esame di
Chimica Biologica. Ora, sebbene sia sempre possibile, a proprie spese,
recuperare nel tempo tali lacune, come è pensabile che al giorno d'oggi un
chimico possa occuparsi di sistemi biologici, senza avere le opportune basi di
biologia molecolare e di ingegneria genetica?
Spero ardentemente che questa Divisione possa farsi
carico, con successo, non solo di attivare tutta una serie di iniziative atte
a coordinare, tenere in contatto e far incontrare persone che, nei propri
campi specifici, contribuiscono allo sviluppo della Chimica dei Sistemi
Biologici, ma anche e soprattutto di sensibilizzare, all'interno
del mondo accademico, studenti, ricercatori e docenti, a tematiche di
interdisciplinarietà (unico elemento che, a mio avviso, può indirizzare
verso una ricerca scientifica competitiva, rispetto ad altre realtà
internazionali, e all'avanguardia, pur rimanendo nei limiti delle risorse
disponibili), anche attraverso la promozione e il sostenimento di
collaborazioni interdipartimentali e interuniversitarie.
Marco
Franceschin
22/10/2000
Anch'io studio
chimica all'Università di Roma "La Sapienza"; sono appena al
secondo anno, quindi penso di conoscere troppo poco l'ambiente universitario
per dare giudizi. Tuttavia trovo senz'altro assurdo che la scienza debba avere
dei settori di serie A ed altri di serie B. Personalmente penso mi interessino
altri rami della chimica (non i sistemi biologici), ovviamente convinta di
dover fare ancora molta strada rima di poterlo affermare con certezza, ma
credo fermamente che tutti gli indirizzi della scienza debbano collaborare per
un unico fine: il progresso. Spero che molto concordino con me sull'inutilità,
per non dire sulla dannosità, di tali rivalità. Invece di collaborare ed
integrarsi per migliorare la vita umana, c'è una sorta di "gara" al
prestigio: tutto ciò dovrebbe farci riflettere ed impegnare affinchè tutto
ciò si modifichi. Queste situazioni mutano se muta il modo di pensare della
gente. Per concludere, appoggio in pieno questa iniziativa, sperando di poter
intervenire nuovamente a questo forum, per discutere anche di argomenti
scientifici: anche se non sono forse molto preparata, tali argomenti mi
appassionano moltissimo.
Roberta
De Carolis
From: Rodolfo Nicolaus (rnicolaus@tightrope.it)
"materia
nera importanza nei sistemi biologici"
Sono
un professore in pensione. Recenti studi (www.tightrope.it/nicolaus/index.htm)
sono forse meritevoli di dibattito e di nuova ricerca di base. Le nuove
conoscenze acquisite sulla materia nera aprono nuove prospettive ai sistemi
biologici (melanine, neuromelanine, melanomi, feomelanine, acidi umici). La
loro natura di polichinoni idrati e di radical-polaroni rendono questi sistemi
dei conduttori elettrici, dei principi di tensigrità, dei trasportatori di
acqua e gas. Essi sono i più importanti sistemi della futura era
post-enzimatica.
Molti saluti, R. Nicolaus.
From: <leone@tiscalinet.it>
"materia
nera importante?"
L'ex professor
Rodolfo Nicolaus dice che le melanine rendono i sistemi biologici dei
conduttori elettrici. E allora? Poi parla di era post-enzimatica strillando al
delirio più convulso!!! Quanto guadagna un ricercatore in Italia??? Quanto
prende un dottorato di ricerca??? Ed i contributi pensionistici dove li
mettiamo? I problemi occupazionali per chimici, biologi e naturalisti? Con la
sua PENSIONE il professor Nicolaus ha abbastanza fondi per finanziare la sua
ricerca! Altro che era post-enzimatica! Qui si tratta di era anti-ricerca
dovuta al malsistema moderno con cui si gestisce la ricerca scientifica e
tecnologica. E tutto questo è dovuto proprio a personaggi come l'ex (per
fortuna) prof. Nicolaus...
Franco Leone
From: alex@hotmail.com
Materia nera la vedo nera...
17/10/2001
Sono un chimico da poco laureato alla ricerca di qualche borsa di studio
e, guarda caso, l'argomento di mio interesse è "la materia nera"
di cui
parla il professor Nicolaus, avendo svolto una tesi sulle melanine.
Avendo trovato nulla sull'argomento, grazie a questo forum, mi sono
rivolto a lui (che è un esperto in materia) per un consiglio ma, a
quanto pare, egli stesso sembra il primo a disinteressarsi. Come è bello
dire "armiamoci e andate"... specie poi quando il quadro della
ricerca
scientifica in Italia si presenta alquanto penoso. Chissà se il
professore ci dirà chi lo ha ridotto così...
Un saluto prosternato a tutti i baroni della ricerca
Un cervello in fuga
Alessandro Righi
#######################################################################
The hypothesis is advanced ( F.E.Barr ,Med. Hypothese, 11, 1-139, 1983 )
that melanin ( in conjuction with
other pigment molecules such as the isopentenoids ) functions as the major
organizational molecule in living system.Melanin is depicted as an
organizational trigger capable of using established
properties such
as photon – (electron)-phonon conversions, free radical –redox
mechanisms, ion exchange mechanisms, and semiconductive
switching capabilities to direct energy to strategic molecular systems
and sensitive hierarchies of protein enzyme cascades. Melanin is held capable
of regulating a wide range of
molecular interaction and metabolic processprimarily
through its effective
control of diverse covalent modifications. To
support the hypothesis , established and proposed
properties of melanin are reviewed
(including the possibility that (neuro)
melanin is capable of self-synthesis
). Two “melanocentric systems “ –Key molecular
systems in which melanin plays
a central if not
controlling role-are examined:
1)
the melanin –purine-pteridine
(covalent modification ) system and
2)
the
APUD (or diffuse neuroendocrine ) system . Melanin’ s role in
embryological organization and
tissue repair /regeneration via sustained or direct current is considered in
addition to its possible control of
the major homeostatic regulatory systems- autonomic, neuroendocrine, and
immunological.
############################################################
http://www.angstromprod.com/xfiles/extras/black
%20body.html
Black
body, in physics,an ideal black substance that absorbs all and reflects none
of the radiant energy falling
on it Lampblack, or
powdered carbon, which reflects less
than 2% of the radiation falling on
it approximates an ideal black body Since
a black body is a perfect absorber
of radiant energy , by the
laws of thermodynamics it must also be a perfect emitter of
radiation. The distribution
according to wavelength of the
radiant energy of
a black body radiator
depends on the
absolute temperature of the black body
and not on its internal
nature or structure . As the temperature
increases, the wavelength at which the energy emitted per second is a
maximum decreases . This phenomenon can be seen in the
behavior of an ordinary
incandescent object, which
gives off its maximum radiation at
shorter and shorter wavelengths as it
becomes hotter and
hotter. First it glows in
long red wavelengths then in yellow
wavelengths, and finally in short
blue wavelengths. In order to explain the spectral distribution
of black body radiation, Max Planck
developed the QUANTUM THEORY in 1901 . In thermodynamics the principle
of the black body is used to determine
the nature and amount of the energy emitted
by a
heated object . Black-body radiation has served as
an important source
of confirmation for the big –bang theory , which holds that the
universe was born in a fiery
explosion some 10 to 20 billion years ago.
According to the theory, the explosion
should have
left aremnant
black-body cosmic background radiation that is uniform in all
directions and has an equivalent temperature of only a
few degrees Kelvin . Such
a uniform background, with
a temperature of 2.7K (see
KELVIN TEMPERATURESCALE), was discovered in
1964 by Arno A. Penzias and Robert
L.Wilson, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978 for their work.
Recent data gathered by the NASA satellite Cosmic Microwave Background
Explorer (COBE) has revealed small temperature fluctuations in the radiation
that are thought to be related to the
“seeds “of stars and galaxies.
####################################################################
by Malik
Anwar Aten – Ra
http://www.ixpres.com/ntruth/melanin.htm
What
is Melanin? The word Melanin is derived from
the Greek word – Melanos which means black
Therefore the “mel” means black and “anin “
is derived from the word amine. Amine is a nitrogen based
group derived from ammonia
(NH3) and is designated in
chemistry as ahydrocarbon amine when it is attached to a hydrocarbon.
How
is Melanin produced ? Melanin is produced in highly specialized cells called
Melanocytes. Melanin is produced inside the
melanocytes by a smaller species called the melanosome.
Melanosome is a highly specialized
compartment of the melanocyte inside of which
Melanin is made and store. The
manufacture of Melanin in
the skin and various organs throughout the body of the human depends on
a catalyst (battery )
located within the melanosome. The catalyst or battery
provides the necessary energy
to convert smaller chemical
units into Melanin . The concentration or degree of blackness throughout
the body of
a person
depends on the catalyst
concentration , catalyst
electrical charge and melanin
type. This degree of blackness can be further
enhanced above and beyond
the genetic basis by the action
of solar radiation (sunlight ,U.V. light , cosmic
rays, etc.) and other
chemicals utilizing the
Melanin producing catalyst
within the melanosomes .
Why
is Melanin black ? “Blackness “ is a divine, cosmic principle of the
Universe Black is the meaning
of Kem or
Khem- the name
which the ancient Kemetic
people call themselves . Ffom this
word we get “chemistry ,” the
study of the building blocks of
life. Life is founded upon carbon,
the black element
present in all living
matter .Black carbon
Melanin is black simply
because its chemical structure will not allow any type of energy to
escape once that energy has come
into contact with its structure.Melanin behaves similarly to a ‘’ black
hole ‘’ .Black carbon atoms link to form Black Melanin, which has
black hole properties.These ‘’ black holes ‘’ properties
are at work in the electron, as proven by Nobel prizewinner, Richard
Feynman The electron is responsible for all ‘’ Khem-ical ‘’ changes in
matter.
Where
melanin is found ?. Melanin is responsible for the pigments that colors the
skin and hairs.Melanins also concentrated in the heart, eyes, ears, skin,
pineal gland, pituitary gland,liver, arteries, testicles and the ovaries in
the human body.
Why
melanin is important ?. Melanin is necessary in order for humans to produce.It
is present at the inception of life ( a Melanin sheath covers both the sperm
and the egg ) ; Melanin can rearrange its chemical structure to absorb energy
( sunlight, music, radar, X-rays, etc. ) and can trasfere and store energy for
later use.This is why people with highly melania skin have the ability to feel
music ( ryth ) and withstand the sun rays more than white people.This
means that the person with dark skin can charge up their Melanin iust by being
in the sus or around the right type of musical sounds or other energy sources.
Why
is the scientific evidence of Melanin withheld ?. After considering Melanin to
be a waste product of body metabolism which supposedly served no useful
function in the body,western science has now discovered tha Melanin is the
chemical key to life.In a excerpt from a interview with Dr. Richard King, by
Discovery magazine King stated that ‘’ Western science is facing the
sobering reality that by it own self-defined standards, highly melania
individuals are probably superior to lighter skin individuals in both
intellectual potential and muscle coordination.And the central role that
Melanin plays in the body has been suppressed to maintain the mythological
inferiority of colored people ‘’
The
superiority complex of white people is a defense mechanism and mask for their
deep inferiority complex which they project onto people of color.If whites
really believe that white skin is superior,then why is tanning so important in
white culture despite its known health risk ? . It is the white female who
tells you that her ideal mate is ‘’ tall,dark and handsome ‘’.Dark
indeed refers to more Melanin.
#########################################################
H.Z.Hill ‘’ The function of
melanin or six blind people examine an elephant ‘’
Bioessays 14, 49-56, 1992.
The
pigment melanin is found all
living kingdoms
and in many different structures
and forms . When its
various functions are examined
separately, its behaviors seem disparate and conflicting. It has a clear
role in camouflage and
sexual display . Other major roles
are examined critically. It can act as a sun
screen but is not a very
effective one .It can also scavenge
active chemical species,
but this, too, is not done very
effectively. It produces active radicals
that can damage DNA.It
binds to drugs in ways that are either beneficial
or deleterious. Aside from
camouflage, its other roles can be brought
together by
a unifying
hypothesis as first proposed
by Proctor and
McGinness nearly 20 years
ago. Melanin is envisaged
as an energy transducer
with the properties of an
amorphous semiconductor . It can
absorb many different types of
energy and dissipate
them in the form of heat . However, if the energy input is too great ,
the output can be expressed in the
form of activated chemical species
that can damage cellular
macromolecules resulting in call
death, mutations and cancer. The
protective aspect of melanin in dark skin is seen as resulting
from its high concentration
and its confinement to ellipsoidal
and densely packed organelles that
can effectively shield the nucleus. In
light skin, its radical
nature is seen as potentially participating
in the carcinogenic
process, particularly when overwhelmed
by intense episodes of sunburn.
#################################################################
|
######################################################
MELANIN
MAD writer production
Members.tripod.com
Melanin
is important because it is the most primitive and universal pigment in living
organisms. Melanin is produced in
the pineal gland. Abundantly
found in primitive organisms such as fungi,
as well as advanced
primates. Furthermorewithin each
living organism, melanin appears to
be located in the major functional
sites. For example, in vertebrates,
melanin is not only present in the
skin , eyes, ears, central nervous system, it can also be found in the pineal
gland, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, adrenal gland, and the
barathary gland . Melanin is abundantely present in the viscera , including the
heart , liver, arteries, the muscles,
and the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, within each and every living
organ which aids the human body melanin
appears. Regardless of what color your skin appears to be all genes in all
creatures on this planet are black
because they are
coated with melanin. The
amount of melanin in the skin is one of the most variable of human
traits, and many
polygenes are involved.
Groups of people or the
population of the world were
once classified according to
the skin shade:
Black (Nubians), White (Caucasians), Yellow (Orientals) and Red (Native
Americans) etc.. We must re-alize
that just because this is the
way they have classified people does not mean this is the way it should
be . The hues of color
of your skin depends
on several factors. First is
the amount of melanin in the outer
layers of the skin. Melanin acts as
a filter to prevent damage to the
delicate deeper layers of the skin, by penetration of ultraviolet light.
There are more than one type of melanin.
You have
brain melanin, also known as
neuromelanin , and you have skin
melanin. Neuromelanin does not run parallel with skin melanin.Whether white,
red, yellow, black or brown, neuromelanin, plays an important role in
functioning of the brain, and nervous system. Melanosomes ( small structures
within the melanocyte cells where
melanin is synthesized) find their way into the hair cells , giving them
color..(Two types of melanin,one dark brown and one red, are responsible for all
hair shades ).
Pigment
that contribute to skin color are called carotene, a yellowish hemo-globin,
in blood vessels (pink-red),
and melanin (black, brown, red). Darker
skins are dominated by melanin, which is produced from the amino acid tyrosine,
by pigment cells (melanocytes) in the skin . Melanocytes
are characterized by long,
fixed extensions of the oute cell
membrane. In humans, other mammals, and birds,
melanin is dispersed permantely throughout
each melanocyte, include- ing the extensions,
and is also , transported to nearby skin cells. In other words , if you increase
the amount of melanin
in the
skin you become
darker and vice
versa. So what is so
important about melanin?
Melanin controls all mental and phy-
sical body
activities. Melanin is
an extremely
stable molecule, ( easily
degraded by oxygen and hydrogen peroxide note of Nicolaus
) and highly resistant to the
digestion by most acids and
bases, and is one of the
hardest molecule to ever be analyzed.
If you do not purify melanin molecule,
you will not heal
your body of diseases. In
parts of Africa, India, and
Australia the deposits of melanin in
the skin is
heavest because the
people have been
exposed to the most
intense sunlight for
generations. Northern Europeans have
the least amount
of deposits in their skin are lighter,
not to
mention their weather is
cloudy and cool .The thick –ness
of the outer layer of the skin
is also a
factor . People with
darker skin
complextions have
thicker layers
of skin .
And this is
a factor
alone enhances
the skins flitering
effect .The thinner the skin
the least melanin.
When the skin is very thin, the blood
vesels show
through and give a pinkish
color . When an individual
adapts to the shifting of the intensity
of the sunlight, the skin
becomes darker
because they are exposed to more sunlight.
That’s how you get suntans
because it ‘s the result of
both thickening and increasing the
melanin in the skin. Keratin is
the substance the nails of
the fingers and toes are made of. It also
appears in the outer layer of
the skin.
When ker- atin deposits are
heavy, the skin has a yellowish, brown shade,as in the
Mongolian populations. They
have adapted along a
different pathway to avoid
the damaging effects of
ultraviolet light. The
reddish hue of the
Native Americans results
from a combination of
keratin and
melanin deposits . Now, you
might be asking yourself what
does melanin have to do with
ultra- violet light? Well, the DNA
molecule are all covered
with melanin.
One of the things that
melanin does is it actually absorbs
ultraviolet radiation. Melanin
is constantly reaching out
towards the ultraviolet
rays of the sun. Ultraviolet
radiation has
been found to be
dangerous to
protein. When
protein is passed
through ultraviolet
radiation it actually
causes the molecule to blend. Just like you have some of
our sisters and brothers who
go to hair dressers , killing their ethers just to get their hair done. No
offense to those who do this
type of activity so don’t go off the deep end with me. I’m not here to
tell you what you should do
or not do because you have
your own mind but if you
choose to go to hair dressers
and get up under these strange lights and you have to wear a special kind of
glasses with it because of
the ultraviolet
radiation.
When
your ethers are exposed to the chemical or protein
structure in those perms and tents it
causes it to lock into a certain position , then your hair will not
change . That’ s the same thing that happens
to your chromosomes or genes.
When ultraviolet rays are exposed to the chromosomes or
the genes, in order for your genes to be able to do what they are suppose
to do naturally, they have to be
able to change .But when they are exposed to ultraviolet radiation they can’t.
Thus when the time or need comes for it change they will not be able to
change. This will result in deformities in your body.
Melanin can also be toxic. Eating
the improper foods or overeating can
black your connection with the sun
energy’s. When the sun’s energy cannot reach the melanin, diseases
manifest. Melanin is deranged
only when it becomes toxic. Any
individual who might have toxic melanin will act in a very similar
manner , that
which is primitive,
animalistic, and barbaric. It is a
civilizing chemical when
it is not toxic.
It has physical properties, and personality traits, which distinguishes
it from others.
That’s why our bodies is dedi-
cated to making melanin. Vitamin B
keeps melanin clean., not to mention good eating
habits. If you want to continue to comsume pork , smoke
weed and drink alcohol
that’s your own business but your body is dedicated
to making melanin, thus if
you make it toxic , you’re only hurting
yourself. Melanin is like a
superconductor, or like a
battery in a car. It always stay
charged when it is exposed to things such as
light, sound, color , and sun light . It will absorb it to the point where the
melanin will actually absorb the
additional energy and
recharge it – self
to a new level . Your body hs
committed itself to creating
melanin so you
can survive. The mel- anin in your
body is always partiall charged.
When you look around things like sound ,light , sun light , or colors ,
the melanin will absorb the
additional energy, and recharge
itself, taking your body to a another level .
If you’ re around that
aren’t good for you your body
reacts to it . Your melanin can
convert light energy to sound
energy, that’s why an entertainer like
Michael Jackson, who was a
big hit back in the days.
What he was doing was using
his melanin
to convert light energy to
sound energy. Now that
he is lacking melanin
he hasen’t been able to
really get a big hit like in
the past. People
with melanin are walking radios and the very dark skinned people are very
sensitive to the different
types of radio frequency or thought patterns that are in the environment.
So everything you do ,
everything you listen to, everything you eat , affects you .
It affects your melanin.
#######################################################################
Melanin : The pigmented truth
By Carolyn J.Fisher
Because this is a paper written by a beginning student as an assignment,
there are no guarantees that everything is absolutely correct and accurate.
In view of the possibility of human error or changes in our knowledge due
to continued research, neither the author nor The University of Iowa nor any
other party who has been involved in the preparation or publication of this work
warrants that the information contained herein is in every respect accurate or
complete, and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the
results obtained from the use of such information. Readers are encouraged to
confirm the information contained herein with other sources.
The
Abbreviations:
DC, Dopachrome
DHI,
dihydroxyindoles
DHICA,
5,6-dihydroxylindole-2-carboxylic acid
DOPA,
3,4-dihydrophenylalinine
DQ, DOPA quinone
EPR, electron
paramagnetic resonance
RPE, retinal
pigmented epithelium
UV, ultraviolet
Abstract:
Natural melanin, a pigment produced in
melanocytes, does not have a unique structure but comprises a class of
conjugated polymers that are commonly referred to collectively as melanins.
Melanins (eumelanins and pheomelanins)
are synthesized from a two-electron oxidation process involving tyrosine
catalyzed by the enzyme tyrosinase. They contain both in vitro and in vivo free radicals that can interact with
hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen and superoxide. In humans, melanins are
thought to play an important role in photoprotection based on their radical
scavenging abilities, especially true of eumelanin. On the other hand, they can
also be degraded by oxidations induced by superoxide to produce reactive species
such as semiquinones. Since all known melanins contain stable organic free
radicals, they can easily be detected by electron paramagnetic resonance
spectroscopy. Continued research into the interactions and detection of melanins
will advance the studies forward to aid in the determination of their true
relevancy as physiologically important cellular protectors.
Introduction:
Melanins are naturally occurring pigments
found in animals and plants. They are complex heterogeneous polymers whose
chemical structure has not been satisfactorily determined There are two major
classes of natural melanins, the black-brown eumelanin found in human black hair
and in the retina of the eye and the yellow-red pheomelanin found in red hair
and red feathers Two biological functions of melanins have been identified.
First, they have been shown to increase optical efficiency of the eye, and
secondly, they are responsible for the production of color patterns in hair and
superficial epidermis
Melanin synthesis or melanogenesis occurs
via
enzymatic and non enzymatic pathways
During melanin synthesis and polymerization, unpaired electrons are left over
from the process and in this respect melanin can be thought of as a free radical
Research has shown that melanins may serves as antioxidants in various ways. For
instance, in skin, high melanin levels contributes to protection from melanoma
where it serves to absorb ultraviolet (UV) light. Melanins also bind transition
metals preventing fenton type reactions and the production of the highly
reactive hydroxyl radical (HO•) On the other hand,
illumination of eumelanins generates O2•- that is quickly scavenged, but O2•- can also reduce melanin intermediates such as quinones to semiquinones
(free radicals) as well as oxidizing semiquinones It is not clear whether
melanins are established antioxidants or pro-oxidants in the cell. This review
will focus on melanogenesis, antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties and
detection of melanins.
Melanogenesis:
Melanogenesis is the production of color
pigments eumelanin and pheomelanin in melanocytes. Raper in the 1920’s laid
the ground work that was later extended by Mason for understanding the
mechanisms of tyrosine conversion into melanin by the actions of the enzyme
tyrosinase The most
significant outcome of their work was the derivation of the Raper-Mason scheme
of melanogenesis . The two initial steps involve the tyrosine-mediated
hydroxylation of tyrosine to 3, 4-dihydrophenyalanine (DOPA), and the oxidation
of DOPA to Dopaquinone (DQ). It has been presumed that the backwards reactions
from DOPA and Dopaquinone are so small compared to the forward reactions that
they can be neglected.
The Raper-Mason scheme has been further
updated as ongoing studies developed new elucidations into the metabolic
pathways of melanin synthesis. An updated comprehensive scheme depicts
the two major pathways of synthesis that are divided into eumelanin and
pheomelanin pathways.
The
major steps in eumelanin formation are the cyclization of dopaquinone to
leucodopachrome which is immediately oxidized to form dopachrome (DC). DC is a
relatively stable intermediate with a half-life of approximately 30 minutes.
After which it is tautomerically rearranged to form
5,6-dihydroxylindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). DC may also spontaneously
decarboxylate to 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) which will rapidly oxidize to form
indole 5,6-quinone. The final step is the polymerization to eumelanin . Comprehensive
scheme of metabolic pathways leading to melanins and related metabolites. The
addition of thiols such as glutathione and cystein to eumelanin pathway is
initiated by the DQ The
glutathionyldopa is rapidly converted to cysteinyldopa by ã-glutamyl
transpeptidase (GTP). Oxidation of cysteinyldopa to cyclic quinine-imine
intermediates that rearrange into benzothiazine derivatives occur. The
benzothiazine derivatives rearrange into pheomelanin The exact mechanisms that
occur in the pheomelanin pathway in the latter conversions are not clearly
understood.
Melanin
as an Antioxidant :
An important physiological function of melanin is related to its ability
to protect against photochemical stress as evidenced by its increased generation
in response to UV damage The chf monomers within DHI melanin. Chemical basis for
melanin’s reactivity is believed to be due to the quinol/quinone redox transformation of the DHI form which undergoes two-electron
oxidation to the corresponding quinone form The
DHI form can act as a superoxide dismutase by catalyzing the disproportionation
of O2•- to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxygen (O2)
Experimentally it has been shown that normal melanocytes exposed to oxidative
stress vary in their extracellular buildup of H2O2 that
was proportional to their initial melanin content. This provided a means for the
melanin rich melanocytes to inhibit the initial buildup of H2O2.
In malignant melanocytes (melanomas), there was a decreased ability for them to
neutralize the H2O2 indicating a protective effect of
melanin.
Melanocytes is under continuous low grade
oxidative insult Within the melanocyte, the synthesis of melanin also results
the polymer by promoting the production of the highly reactive HO• in a Fenton Type reaction. The melanocyte whose primary function is to
deliver melanin to keratino in the production of H2O2 that
when inefficiently reduced by antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione
peroxidase) could lead to deleterious pathological conditions such as cancer.
Excess H2O2 decomposes melanin in a process known as
bleaching in
vitro and induces higher tyrosinase levels in
vivo.
Detection Method:
Electron
Spin Resonance (ESR) ( EPR )
All
known melanins contain free radicals that can be detected by EPR and melanin is
the er with a relatively high concentration of free radical centers in
vivo and
in
vitro.
TR signal, a single structure-less slightly asymmetric line, is synthetic
DOPA melanin human RPE The
amount of mehí
= 2.E
=
gµBB)
where
the spectra of acidified (pH 1) melanin samples are measured at liquid nitrogen
temperatures in the g = 2 region usiped with 1 only known biopolymer he highly
characteristic melanin EPR and is
based on results generated in a study concerning the loss of retinal pigmented
epithelium (RPE) melanin in human eyes with aging. Signals are
from 1 mg mL-1 of synthetic DOPA melanin (standard), pooled human RPE cell
extract and melanosomes from RPE pooled samples, respectively. The similarity of
the EPR spectra from the three different sources off melanin rule out artifacts
in the detection method. . ESR spectra obtained for 1 mg mL-1cell extracts and
human melanosome.Melanin was determined by an ESR assay (ng a Bruker ESP 300E
ESR spectrometer operating in the X band and equip 00 kHz field modulation. The
settings were microwave power 20 µW,
modulation amplitude 2.0 G and scan
range 50 The acidic pH is used to release bound-to-melanin paramagnetic and
diamagnetic metal ions thereby minimizing their effects on the EPR signal. To
illustrate that the EPR method is a reliable quantitative measure for melanins,
researchers establish a linear relationship between melanosome number and
melanin in the particular vehicle that is being tested.
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Tea Melanin: The Innovative Technology for Melanin Production and
Application
Tea Melanin can be produced in industrial scale.
Previous attempts to produce melanin were not a commercial success, because the
products were expensive, insoluble in water and unstable. Tea Melanin is highly
soluble and has a stable reproducing quality. It possesses a unique combination
of valuable properties, which have never been found for the other kind of
compounds. Tea melanin provides the real possibility to replace the synthetic
melanin in preparations, which are extremely expensive and sometimes are not
safe.
The most attractive application of Tea Melanin is
cosmetics. Product is expected to be of interest for such melanin customers like
L’Oreal of France, Shiseido of Japan and Estee Lauder of the
Other applications include health foods, which are
indispensable for prevention of cancer, stimulation of immune activity,
improvement of Parkinson’s Disease, and protection of invasion of HIV.
Tea Melanin possesses anti-venom activity that can be
used for first aid purposes. Melanin also can be applied as stress-protective
remedies.
Promising application of Tea Melanin is Photodynamic
Therapy of tumor. The combination Melanin with porphyrines for this purpose
provides the high selectivity of destruction of tumor cells surrounded with
normal cells.
Industrial application of Tea Melanin includes
extraction of precious metals, tanning of plastics and glass materials. Product
acts as an amorphous semiconductor threshold switch. Switching is carried out
reversibly at potential gradients two to three orders of magnitude lower than
reported for inorganic thin films.
We
are glad to present novel biopolymer of melanin nature belonging to the most
elusive and enigmatic substances in the world. Melanin refers to a class of
compounds, which are defined in the Merck Index as the pigments mostly
responsible for the color of skin and hair. Actually, melanin provides more than
color. It provides the most powerful protection against UV and visible light. It
absorbs the higher energy light more than the lower energy light.
Normally,
the skin protects itself by increasing the amount of melanin in the skin.
However, the biosynthesis of melanin in the skin needs 3-8 days to develop.
There is no protection in the decisive first days. Excessive sunlight causes
permanent freckling, premature skin aging and increases the risk of developing
skin cancers.
Another
advantage for melanin is that it is an effective neutralizing agent for free
radical – molecules, which are harmful to the human body. Melanin interacts
with reactive oxygen species and protects cellular membranes and DNA from their
damage.
It
was found that among five pigments produce skin and hair color, melanin is of
critical importance. Melanin serves other purposes in the body beyond darkening
skin and hair. The loss of moisture in the skin is a principle contributor to
premature skin aging, cracking and wrinkling. Furthermore, moisture loss in the
hair contributes to dull, lifeless and brittle hair follicles. Thus, melanin is
a critical element in the body’s natural defense against moisture loss and
sunburn.
Skin
is the largest organ of our body. Melanin is organizing molecule determining the
function of skin.
Unfortunately,
this valuable pigment is getting lost during the aging process. The loss of
melanin is strongly correlated with skin aging. Also, there is apparently an
inverse relationship between the melanin content in the skin and sun-induced
skin damage, including skin cancer.
The
absorption of UV-light by stratospheric ozone is decline last time. The high
incidence of skin cancer will persuade most people to use sunscreen.
Melanin
in human skin weakens the penetration of ultraviolet and visible light.
1. Overwhelming data demonstrates that melanin in the skin confers
protection from skin cancer, and the greater the level of melanin the greater
the level of protection.
2.
Melanin is the sun umbrella of our skin. Melanin is the skin's natural defense
against UV rays.
3. Melanin particles both scatter and absorb ultraviolet light.
4. In the
5.
6. Sunlight causes more than 90 percent of all cosmetic damage or
sagging, bagging, wrinkling, and scaly skin.
Melanin
stands at the forefront of technology, which has revolutionized hair and skin
care for the 21st century. We offer remedy for protection skin
against the harmful factors based on Melanin derived from tea. A new method for
producing Tea Melanin in commercial accessible quantities has been developed for
the first time. Physico-chemical characteristics of Tea Melanin are represented
by Appendix A.
The
product obtained is nontoxic and can be used in composition of lotions, cremes,
shampoo, mascaras, and ointments. Through our technology, we are able to
incorporate Melanin into different cosmetic formulations (the examples of
melanin formulation are given in Appendix B).
Tea
Melanin can be useful for the treatment of different skin diseases, especially
for Vitiligo. Although, Vitiligo is a non-life threatening, but it is
emotionally devastating disease. The white spots in the skin are the result of
the body's inability to produce melanin. According to the National Vitiligo
Foundation (USA) there are very limited cosmetics currently available for a
large numbers of Vitiligo sufferers. It is estimated that 1-2% of the world
population suffers from Vitiligo.
Derived
from the tea plant, Melanin can be balanced with other natural cosmetic
ingredients providing a unique treatment of depigmented areas of the skin. Tea
Melanin can act like original human melanin in the skin. It has the unique
ability to resemble naturally into any skin tones.
It
has been medically proven that melanin in the body protects against premature
skin aging, wrinkling, sunburn and skin cancer associated with sun exposure.
Melanin gives our skin its color, and acts as a natural shield against sun
damage.
The
experts agree: Sun exposure for anyone means skin damage. The results of this
damage can range from a heightened potential for premature skin aging to a
greater possibility of developing skin cancer. The sun damage that occurs today
will be visible, through lines, wrinkles and may be skin cancer years from now.
All
our products are para-aminobenzoic acid free. Some people with sensitive skin or
who are allergic to sulfur drugs, also, develop an allergic reaction to
para-aminobenzoic acid.
Melanin
is also inside your eyes. It's the same pigment, which gives your skin and hair
its color and protect your skin. In eyes melanin provide the most powerful
protection against UV and visible light around. It is nature's solution to the
problem of hazardous light.
Melanin
occurs in the retinal epithelium - behind the retina, where its antioxidant
properties reduce the risks of macular degeneration. People with more eye
melanin have less occurrence of macular degeneration.
Nature
provides us with an original supply of melanin at the back of the eye.
Researchers believe that this melanin offers both photoprotection and vision
enhancement (as does the black paint inside a camera). However, this valuable
photoprotective pigment is lost during the aging process. About 15% of our
original supply of melanin is lost in the eye by the age of forty and about 25%
is lost by the age of fifty.
An
exciting possibility is to put melanin into contact lenses and glasses. Melanin
bound to a contact lens can neutralize harmful free radicals such as superoxide
within the region between contact lens and the eye. For lens applications this
is a revolutionary concept which may be of significant therapeutic value. The
role melanin plays in eye protection is critical; ophthalmologists have reported
that melanin in the eye reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration.
It
was found that Tea Melanin could be offered for design of glasses that provide
both photoprotection and vision enhancement. Melanin contained glasses and
lenses provide a way to compensate for the age lost of melanin.
Other
application of Melanin is for antiglare filters anti-radiation filters. It can
relieve eyestrain, blurred vision, and fatigue caused from working on a
computer. Melanin can attenuates 99.99% of radiation and static electricity,
providing outstanding protection to a computer user.
List
of companies producing Melanin or Melanin containing products allowed conclude
that every Melanin available up to now is synthetic Melanin. Tea Melanin is the
first natural product, which can be produced in industrial scale use.
Tea plant is the object of
daily contact of the human. Owing to that, extracting of melanin from tealeaves
has several advantages. First of all, tea Melanin does not possess any
appreciable toxicity. The valuable property of tealeaves is the stable
reproduction of quality, which is provided by the uniform of technological rules
for it processing. Also, Melanin is generated by biosynthesis during of
tealeaves fermentation. Therefore, tealeaves is an enriched source of melanin.
Tea Melanin is distinguished from the synthetic manufacturing products by:
References
Huang, G.S., and
Hung, Y.C.,
Physico-chemical
characteristics of Tea Melanin
|
Specific density, g/cm3 |
1.345 |
|
Solubility
in water, mg/ cm3 |
25 |
|
Average molecular weight, kDa |
8-14 |
|
Elemental composition, % |
C=49.5; H=6.8; N=7.4; Ashes=0.72 |
|
IR-spectra, cm-1 |
350-360; 3300, 1620, 1400; 1200-1050 |
|
Concentration
of paramagnetic centers, s/g |
4´ 1018 |
|
g-factor |
2.004 |
|
Width
of ESR spectra, Er |
5.3 |
|
Mass-spectra |
Hydroxybenzenes,
m/z=93, 94, 109, 110, 125, 126, 141, 142, 157, 158, 174 Dihydroxybenzenes,
m/z=110, 124, 168, 199, 200, 227, 228 Trihydroxybenzenes,
m/z=97, 98, 111, 112, 125, 139, 140, 154 Dihydroxybenzencaron
acids, m/z=109, 123, 137, 154, 165, 179 Hydroxybenzenecarbon
acid, m/z=129, 136, 137, 161, 175, 199, 213, 227, 241, 256 Benzenfuranes,
m/z=139, 140, 168 Quinones,
m/z=107, 108 Indoles,
m/z=116, 117, 132, 133, 147, 148, 149, 186, 187 |
|
Biological activity |
Photo-protective Radio-protective Chelating
of radio-nuclides Anticonvulsive Stress-protective Anti-oxidant Immuno-stimulating HIV
replication inhibiting Binding
of toxic metabolites |
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WE
HAVE A DIFFERENT
PICTURE OF MELANIN STRUCTURE AND MELANOGENESIS ( Feb 2004 )
Write
to :
rnicolaus@tightrope.it
See
:
http://tightrope.it/nicolaus/index.htm
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