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Melanin Content of Hamster Tissues, Human Tissues, and Various Melanomas¹

Brookhaven National Laboratory, Associated Universities, Inc., Upton, New York 11973

Melanin content (percentage by weight) was determined in both pigmented and nonpigmented tissues of Syrian golden hamsters bearing Greene melanoma. Melanin content was also measured in various other melanoma models (B-16 in C57 mice, Harding-Passey in BALB/c mice, and KHDD in C3H mice) and in nine human melanomas, as well as in selected normal tissues. The purpose was to evaluate the possible efficacy of chlorpromazine, which is known to bind to melanin, as a vehicle for boron transport in neutron capture therapy. Successful therapy would depend upon selective uptake and absolute concentration of borated compounds in tumors; these parameters will in turn depend upon melanin concentration in melanomas and nonpigmented "background" tissues. Hamster whole eyes, hamster melanomas, and other well-pigmented animal melanomas were found to contain 0.3 to 0.8% melanin by weight, whereas human melanomas varied from 0.1 to 0.9% (average, 0.35%). Other tissues, with the exception of skin, were lower in content by a factor of 30.

Melanin pigment was extracted from tissues, and the melanin content was determined spectrophotometrically. Measurements were found to be sensitive to the presence of other proteins. Previous procedures for isolating and quantifying melanin often neglected the importance of removing proteins and other interfering nonmelanic substances.

¹ Work supported by National Cancer Institute Grant R01-CA22749, United States Department of Energy Contract DE-AC02-CH00016, and United States Environmental Protection Agency Contract 79-D-X-0533.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at the Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N. Y. 11973.

Received 4/ 1/80. Accepted 10/16/80.

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