Melanin and Vitamin D: Unravelling the Mechanism and
Coalition of Two Archaic Biomolecules in Human Evolution and Health

Sumit Maitra; Arkopala Bose; Diptendu Chatterjee; Arup Bandyopadhyay

doi:10.5114/dr.2025.155989

eISSN: 2084-9893
ISSN: 0033-2526

Dermatology Review/Przegląd Dermatologiczny

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4/2025
vol. 112

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abstract:

Review article

Melanin and Vitamin D: Unravelling the Mechanism and Coalition of Two Archaic Biomolecules in Human Evolution and Health

Sumit Maitra

^{1, 2}

,

Arkopala Bose

¹

,

Diptendu Chatterjee

¹

,

Arup R. Bandyopadhyay

¹

Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Sociological Research Unit (SRU), Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand, India

Dermatol Rev/Przegl Dermatol 2025, 112, 235–242

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/dr.2025.155989

Online publish date: 2025/10/30

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Melanin and vitamin D share a unique relationship. Human skin pigmentation has changed throughout the course of evolution to provide protection from intense ultraviolet radiation (UVR) while still allowing for cutaneous vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D is essential for maintaining human health, and its synthesis occurs in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet B radiation. Moreover, when isolated human populations migrated to radically different climatic environments with exceptionally low or high UVB exposure, pigmentation phenotypes evolved repeatedly as a result of distinct genetic processes. Rapid changes in migratory patterns and lifestyle factors further contributed to variations in human skin pigmentation and, together with environmental influences, led to vitamin D deficiency. Against this backdrop, the present review aims to untangle the intertwined roles that two ancient biomolecules, melanin and vitamin D, have played in human evolution and health.

keywords:

vitamin D, melanin, evolution, depigmentation

Indeks osobowy

Melanin and Vitamin D: Unravelling the Mechanism and Coalition of Two Archaic Biomolecules in Human Evolution and Health

Sumit Maitra 1, 2 , Arkopala Bose 1 , Diptendu Chatterjee 1 , Arup R. Bandyopadhyay 1

vitamin D, melanin, evolution, depigmentation

Sumit Maitra

^{1, 2}

,

Arkopala Bose

¹

,

Diptendu Chatterjee

¹

,

Arup R. Bandyopadhyay

¹