Your tan vs mercury — citations
First published in 2017
Last revised October 17, 2018
This is not so much an article as a quick look at (mostly recent) research into melanin as a mercury antagonist rendered as a long list of citations.
Here’s the gist: the largest organ in your body is well-equipped to bind and rid you of mercury. The organ I’m referring to is your skin and melanin (your tan) is the molecule that does the magic.
We used to think melanin was a passive molecule that just protected us from UV. Not at all true, science now shows that melanin i(your tan) is a collection of molecules some of which require a lot of sunlight (UV) to be built and to function as very powerful detoxifiers and antioxidants.
I can’t tell you whether you should worry about mercury or other heavy metals, but if you’re worried about mercury or other metals, you need a tan and sunlight, above all.
PS, histamine is a critical part of the “pathway” that stimulates melanin formation after UV exposure; so if you want a tan, I’m afraid that avoiding antihistamines is pretty much necessary. Meaning both H1 and H2 blockers.
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[melanin directly used to combat mercury poisoning in rabbits]
Arch Environ Health. 2000 Jan-Feb;55(1):48–50.
Phytosorbent prepared from sunflower seed husks prevents mercuric chloride accumulation in kidney and muscle of adult rabbits.
Lapina VA1, Sheshko PM, Pankovets EA, Dontsov AE.
In the present study, the effect of a melanin-containing phytosorbent, “Victoria,” on mercury accumulation in rabbits’ tissues was studied. This phytosorbent is derived from black sunflower seed husks.
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Mercury in kidney and muscle of the experiment group was, on average, 25.8 and 4.7 times less, respectively, than in the control group. The authors concluded that the phytosorbent prevented accumulation of mercury in the kidney and muscle tissues and exerted a protective effect against mercury toxicity.
PMID: 10735520
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10735520
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[Newly discovered forms of melanin are protective vs mercury in the human brain]
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Nov 11;105(45):17567–72. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0808768105. Epub 2008 Nov 6.
New melanic pigments in the human brain that accumulate in aging and block environmental toxic metals.
Zecca L1, Bellei C, Costi P, Albertini A, Monzani E, Casella L, Gallorini M, Bergamaschi L, Moscatelli A, Turro NJ, Eisner M, Crippa PR, Ito S, Wakamatsu K, Bush WD, Ward WC, Simon JD, Zucca FA.
These pigments, which we term neuromelanins, contain melanic, lipid, and peptide components.
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These neuronal pigments have some structural similarities to the melanin found in skin.
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The synthesis of neuromelanins in the various regions of the human brain is an important protective process because the melanic component is generated through the removal of reactive/toxic quinones that would otherwise cause neurotoxicity. Furthermore, the resulting melanic component serves an additional protective role through its ability to chelate and accumulate metals, including environmentally toxic metals such as mercury and lead.
PMID: 18988735
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18988735
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[melanin protects mice from absorbing mercury]
Biometals. 2004 Apr;17(2):167–75.
Comparison of mercury levels in various tissues of albino and pigmented mice treated with two different brands of mercury skin-lightening creams.
Al-Saleh I1, Shinwari N, El-Doush I, Billedo G, Al-Amodi M, Khogali F.
Significant differences in the mercury levels were observed between the albino and pigmented mice. This emphasizes the protective role of melanin against mercury toxicity.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15088944
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[Melanin’s ability to bind mercury is so strong that melanin has been used to build sensitive mercury detection devices]
Biosens Bioelectron. 2007 Oct 31;23(3):319–25. Epub 2007 Apr 29.
Picogram detection of metal ions by melanin-sensitized piezoelectric sensor.
Huang GS1, Wang MT, Su CW, Chen YS, Hong MY.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17543514
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[lab tests show melanin’s ability to absorb mercury and other heavy metals]
J Environ Manage. 2018 May 15;214:315–324. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.084. Epub 2018 Mar 10.
Kinetic and thermodynamic studies on the adsorption of heavy metals from aqueous solution by melanin nanopigment obtained from marine source: Pseudomonas stutzeri.
Manirethan V1, Raval K2, Rajan R1, Thaira H1, Balakrishnan RM3.
Binding of heavy metals on melanin surface was proved by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Contemplating the results, biosynthesized melanin can be a potential adsorbent for efficient removal of Hg(II), Cr(VI), Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29533829
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[Note that brown mushrooms are a good dietary source of melanin. It’s unclear how helpful that is either to building a tan or in sequestering mercury already in your body; but they have been tested as a topical anti-inflammatory:]
Int J Med Mushrooms. 2018;20(2):141–153. doi: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2018025463.
Antimelanogenesis and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Selected Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms.
Saad HM1, Sim KS1, Tan YS2.
the extract from brown A. bisporus, at the highest concentration tested, has appreciable anti-inflammatory activity through reductions of NO and TNF-α levels.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29773006
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