Melamine Induced Inflammation: Fact or Fiction

摘要

Melamine adulteration of food materials is an ongoingproblem and melamine induced nephropathy is gradually getting tobe recognized as a global phenomenon. Melamine is also known tocause pathology at multiple organs of the human body. How suchproblems are caused by melamine is currently not understood butthere is some preliminary evidence to conclude that melamine per secan cause inflammation. The possibility of above idea is exploredusing tools of computational biology. It is observed that melamineinteracts with various arachidonic acid binding sites of albumin withsignificant hydrogen bond energy. It is concluded that in chronicmelamine exposure possibly melamine can bind with arachidonicacid binding sites of albumin which is difficult to be replaced byarachidonic acid. This can result in generation of free arachidonicacid resulting in formation of more mediators of inflammation. Wehave supported for experimental validation of our in-silico results.