TY - GEN A1 - Klonowska, Anna N2 - Melanins are pigments whose physicochemical and biological properties are determined by the presence of different amounts of so-called eumelanin and pheomelanin, which arise from different melanin precursors. Each melanin contains relatively stable free radical centers that give characteristic signals easily detectable by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The purpose of this study is to determine the quantity and type of melanin in choroidal melanomas in correlation with patient’s clinical characteristics.Melanoma-containing samples were obtained after enucleation surgery, performed because advanced choroidal melanoma was diagnosed, not qualified to preserving eye therapy.Frozen samples were examined at liquid nitrogen temperature by EPR spectroscopy. Examination showed that choroidal melanoma cells had a low eumelanin to pheomelanin index. In most of investigated melanoma-containing samples the presence of pheomelanin was determined. Also strict correlation between patient’s clinical characteristics such as skin phototype, iris and hair color and melanin type in tumor were observed. No correlation however were found between histopathological type and quality and quantity of melanin in choroidal melanoma. Macroscopic analysing cases of choroidal melanoma were characterized by wide pigment variations. The presence of tide correlation between tumor color and typ N2 - e of melanin was observed. Pheomelanin fenotype occurred in tumors with low content of pigment. Tumors intensively pigmented (black, dark brown) belong to eumelanin tumors. CY - Kraków L2 - http://dl.cm-uj.krakow.pl:8080/Content/3491 PY - 2012 KW - EPR KW - eumelanin KW - pheomelanin KW - choroidal melanoma T1 - Identification and characterization of melanin in choroidal melanoma by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) UR - http://dl.cm-uj.krakow.pl:8080/dlibra/publication/edition/3491 ER -