Abdul Aziz
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Title: “Scytonemin†pigment from Lyngbya notarisii (Menegh.) Wille (Cyanobacteria) may protect human skin from UV radiation.
Biography
Biography: Abdul Aziz
Abstract
Mature filament of Lyngbya notarisii (Menegh.) Wille, is characterized by having 10-12 layered sheath around a trichome with reddish-brown pigment called ‘scytonemin’. The filament attained about 3 cm long and 42 µm wide when grown in Chu 10D medium for 15 days under a continuous light flux of 50 µE m-2 s-1 and at a temperature of about 25º C. The ‘scytonemin’ produced by cells is diffused into a few innermost sheath layers. A filament when placed on a glass slide with Chu 10D medium and exposed to direct sunlight for two days, huge quantity of reddish-brown water-soluble ‘scytonemin’ oozes out through open end of the filament. The released ‘scytonemin’ after drying formed black flakes. The ‘scytonemin’ is known to protect cells from near UV radiation. Therefore, it may be used as a protecting agent of human skin from UV radiation and in other therapeutics. The filaments having large amount of sheath material may be processed for industrial uses.