Synthesis of chitosan-melanin complex from marine waste and evaluation of its UV absorbing activity

Zarei Karyani, Tayebeh; Yousefzadi, Morteza; Sedaghat, Fatemeh; Zarei, Maaroof

doi:10.22124/japb.2024.24296.1493

Synthesis of chitosan-melanin complex from marine waste and evaluation of its UV absorbing activity

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Marine Science School, Hormozgan University

³ Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

⁴ Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Basic Science, University of Hormozgan

10.22124/japb.2024.24296.1493

Abstract

Ultraviolet rays of the sun have a very negative and dangerous effect on human skin and cause skin cancer in different people. Conventional sunscreens cause problems in some people due to the presence of chemical compounds, which has increased the demand for sunscreens containing natural ingredients. In this direction and in order to obtain safe natural sunscreen compounds, two polymers, chitosan and melanin, were used as ultraviolet (UV) filters in sunscreen creams. First, chitosan was extracted from shrimp waste and melanin from squid ink and synthesized in the form of chitosan-melanin complex. In the following, the ultraviolet ray absorbing activity of the resulting complex was investigated by spectroscopic method and using a spectrophotometric device. Measuring the amount of SPF (290 to 320 nm) showed that this composition has SPF=22.6. From the results of this research, it can be concluded that the chitosan-melanin complex can be considered as a suitable alternative for chemical compounds in sunscreens and other cosmetic-sanitary products due to its biological function and non-toxicity.

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