Abstract
Within a few minutes of perspiration, the colourless, viscous sweat of the hippopotamus gradually turns red, and then brown as the pigment polymerizes. Here we isolate and characterize the pigments responsible for this colour reaction. The unstable red and orange pigments turn out to be non-benzenoid aromatic compounds that are unexpectedly acidic and have antibiotic as well as sunscreen activity.
MeSH terms
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / analysis
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
- Biopolymers / analysis
- Biopolymers / chemistry
- Color*
- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Mammals / physiology*
- Molecular Structure
- Mucus / chemistry
- Mucus / metabolism
- Pigments, Biological / analysis*
- Pigments, Biological / chemistry*
- Pigments, Biological / metabolism
- Skin / metabolism
- Sunscreening Agents / analysis
- Sunscreening Agents / chemistry
- Sweat / chemistry*
- Sweat / metabolism
Substances
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
- Biopolymers
- Pigments, Biological
- Sunscreening Agents