In vitro analysis of catalase and superoxide dismutase mimetic properties of blue tattoo ink

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Jan Homolak
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Croatian Institiute for Brain Research)
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Department of Pharmacology)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Basic Medical Sciences; Pharmacology

Abstract (english)

Tattoo inks are comprised of different combinations of bioactive chemicals with combined biological effects that are insufficiently explored. Tattoos have been associated with oxidative stress; however, a recent N-of-1 study suggested that blue tattoos may be associated with suppressed local skin oxidative stress. The present study aimed to explore the attributes of the blue tattoo ink (BTI) that may explain its possible effects on redox homeostasis, namely the catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-mimetic properties that have been reported for copper(II) phthalocyanine (CuPC)-the main BTI constituent. Intenze™ Persian blue (PB) BTI has been used in the experiment. CAT and SOD-mimetic properties of PB and its pigment-enriched fractions were analyzed using the carbonato-cobaltate (III) formation-derived H2O2 dissociation and 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene autoxidation rate assays utilizing simple buffers and biochemical matrix of normal skin tissue as chemical reaction environments. CuPC-based tattoo ink PB and both its blue and white pigment-enriched fractions demonstrate CAT and SOD-mimetic properties in vitro with effect sizes demonstrating a substantial dependence on the biochemical environment. PB constituents act as inhibitors of CAT but potentiate its activity in the biochemical matrix of the skin. CuPC-based BTI can mimic antioxidant enzymes, however chemical constituents other than CuPC (e.g. the photoreactive TiO2) seem to be at least partially responsible for the BTI redox-modulating properties.

• Keywords (english): Catalase; Hydrogen Peroxide; Ink; Superoxide Dismutase; Tattooing
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Accepted version
• Journal title: Free Radical Research
• Numbering: vol. 56, no. 5-6, pp. 343-357
• p-ISSN: 1071-5762
• e-ISSN: 1029-2470
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10715762.2022.2102976
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:168116
• Publication: 2022-07-26
• Document URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10715762.2022.2102976
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access; Embargo expiration date: 2023-07-01
• Created on: 2023-03-24 12:19:10