Red Hair Is a Sign of Oxidative Stress in Wild Boars, but Gray Is A-OK

ScienceDaily (July 19, 2012) — A coat of a certain color could be costly for wild boars, according to research published in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.

The research, led by Ismael Galván of Spain's Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, found that boars with more reddish hair tend to have higher levels of oxidative stress -- damage that occurs as toxins from cell respiration build up. The reason for this, the researchers suggest, is that the process of producing reddish pigment eats up a valuable antioxidant that would otherwise be fighting the free radicals that lead to oxidative stress.

Most of the pigment in animal skin and hair is produced by chemicals called melanins. There are two kinds of melanins: eumelanin, which produces dark colors, and pheomelanin, which produces reddish or chestnut colors. The two melanins are produced via similar chemical pathways, with an exception. The production of pheomelanin consumes a chemical called glutathione (also known as GSH), which is a powerful intracellular antioxidant.


Continued: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120719153303.htm