Intracellular Accumulation of Melanin

Pigments

Pigments are defined as substances occurring in living matter that absorb visible light.

Classification

Pigments are classified as:

1. Endogenous pigments
2. Artifact pigments
3. Exogenous pigments

Melanin

It is an endogenous, non-hemoglobin brown black pigment. It is formed when enzyme tyrosinage catalyzes the oxidation of tyrosinase to di hydroxyl phenyl alanine in melanocytes.

Melanin is normally found in skin, eye, substantia nigra of brain and hair follicles. A number of methods can be used for the identification of melanin and melanin producing cells. The most reliable are reducing methods, such as Masson Fontana silver technique.

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