We have observed that many polysaccharides can promote the oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) into melanin-like pigments leading to the formation of water-soluble polysaccharide/melanin complexes. These pigments were characterized by size exclusion chromatography and FT-IR spectroscopy. The effect on the secretion of interleukin (IL) -1 and IL-6 from immune cells by DOPA-based melanin synthesized in the presence or absence of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was evaluated. We observed that the melanin/CMC complex had a more potent effect on both IL secretions compared to the melanin prepared from DOPA in the absence of any polysaccharide. The study of the effect of melanins on the IL secretion by immune or other cells will help illuminate the potential contributions of this broad class of pigments to pathological conditions like Parkinson's disease or ochronosis.