A new article published in Biomaterials Science stated that polydopamine (PDA) is the most typical kind of synthetic melanin, which possesses interesting properties such as antioxidation, photoprotection, metal chelation and energy dissipation.

The authors reported that over the past few years, PDA has been successfully synthesized via polymerization methods and has demonstrated excellent free radical scavenging ability. The related applications have been rapidly expanded to include sunscreens, anti-inflammatory treatment and composite material fabrication.

However, despite great progress, the comprehensive mechanisms of its free radical scavenging behaviors are not fully understood.

This article summarized the possible mechanisms, established antioxidant regulation methods and the related biomedical applications of PDA free radical scavengers. The findings could provide insight into PDA scavenging systems and offer inspiration towards the design of new melanin-inspired scavengers with a broad range of biomedical applications.

Source: Biomaterials Science. 2020 Aug 18. doi: 10.1039/d0bm01070g.