Spectroscopic and dynamic studies of the epidermal chromophores trans-urocanic acid and eumelanin
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2026

Characterization of Biological Absorption Spectra Spanning the Visible to the Short-Wave Infrared
Published on: January 10, 2025
1Department of Chemistry, Duke University, and Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
Abstract:
Photoaging and skin cancer can result from the exposure of skin to ultraviolet A (UV-A, 320-400 nm) radiation. The detailed chemical mechanisms by which these processes occur are not known, but they must begin with the absorption of a UV-A photon by one or more photoreceptor(s) within the skin. The situation is complicated by the lack of understanding of the photoreactions of many of the UV-A-absorbing molecules in skin. In this Account, we describe recent research efforts directed at elucidating the UV-A-induced photoreactivity of two light-absorbing epidermal photoreceptors: trans-urocanic acid and eumelanin.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Ultraviolet and Visible (UV–Vis) Spectroscopy: Overview
UV–Vis Spectroscopy of Conjugated Systems
One of the factors influencing λmax is the extent of conjugation in the...
UV–Vis Spectrometers
Pigmentation
Melanin occurs in two primary forms: eumelanin that provides black and brown pigment and pheomelanin that provides red color. Dark-skinned individuals produce more melanin than those with pale...
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions

