Inactivation of tyrosinase photoinduced by carboxypterin under solar radiation

ADRIANA IPIÑA; M. LAURA DÁNTOLA; ANDRÉS H. THOMAS

Maresias

Congreso; XII ELAFOT; 2015

Tyrosinase is a copper-containing glycoprotein that catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of the melanin, the main pigment of the skin, in mammals.Pterins, heterocyclic compounds able to photoinduce oxidation of biomolecules, accumulate in the skin of patients suffering from vitiligo, where there is a lack of melanin. In diseased skin cells micromolar concentration of pterin derivatives such as Carboxypterin (Cap) have been determined.[1] A recent study has demonstrated that under UV-A radiation, tyrosinase is inactivated by pterin through a photosensitized process.[2] Taking into account that UV radiation reaches the epidermis, where pterins derivatives are present in some pathological conditions, the main aim of this work is to find out if the energy of the sun is enough to cause photoinduced inactivation of tyrosinase using Cap as photosensitizer.