Adrenochrome is a subject of several far right conspiracy theories, such as QAnon and Pizzagate,[19][20][21] with the chemical helping the theories play a similar role to earlier blood libel and Satanic ritual abuse stories.[22] The theories commonly state that a cabal of Satanists rape and murder children, and "harvest" adrenochrome from their victims' blood as a drug[23][24] or as an elixir of youth.[25] In reality, adrenochrome is synthesized by biotechnology companies, solely for research purposes, and has no medical uses.[26][27][28]
looks like it's seen a ghost….
Melanin biosynthesis and the neural relationship
The initiation of melanin formation and employment of tyrosine and dopamine is linked with adrenochrome systems. The pigment that lies in the midbrain was thought to have a different role to that in the skin and has long raised greater questions about its link with dopamine.[11,12] The stages of the conversion of DOPA to melanin seem, as was once believed, almost accidental; a polymerization that requires no energy nor oxygen and has been adopted for multiple purposes during evolution. Most likely it is the readiness with which the quinones will bind with several alternative chemicals such as cysteine that determines which direction or pathway is taken. Duplication and new gene creativity make contemporary interpretation of the tyrosinase enzymes more complicated. Several of these prove useful in evolution, making decisions about the prime purpose of melanin more difficult, some being antibiotic or anti-inflammatory. For example, they are believed to prevent the bacterial breakdown of feathers and may explain superficial cutaneous mycoses control by darker skin. The spontaneous formation of pigment proves useful in camouflage and display and in particular, its protection against UV radiation proves of value.
While melanocytes are the cells that produce the melanin-containing melanosomes it cannot be forgotten that their origin is in the neural crest and they have some features which remind one of cells of the nervous system as they migrate preferentially to the basal layer of the epidermis. There have been theories focused on the hypopigmented anesthetic patch observed in leprosy, that the melanocyte, having reached the epidermis does not entirely lose its neuronal sensory properties.[13] However, no cell loses stem cell properties during maturation as completely as was once believed. Stem cell progenitors of the Schwann cell need to be in contact with nerves and when they are not, the Schwann cell turns into a melanocyte. The polymerization processes leading to pigment formation does not necessarily require tyrosinase.