Carbon-13 NMR Studies of Keratin Intermediate Filament of Human Hair

    February 1998 in “ Polymer ”
    Naoki Nishikawa, Yoshiaki Tanizawa, Shoichi Tanaka, Yasunobu Horiguchi, Hitomi Matsuno, Tetsuo Asakura
    TLDR Human hair keratin has a 40% α-helix structure that changes to a random coil in 8 M urea.
    The study investigated the 13C n.m.r. spectra of the low sulfur fraction in S-(carboxymethyl) keratin (SCMKA), representing the hard keratin intermediate filament in human hair, in aqueous solution. It was found that SCMKA exhibited a 40% α-helix structure in aqueous solution, which transformed into a random coil structure in 8 M urea, similar to the high sulfur fraction (SCMKB) in aqueous solution. The spectra indicated that amino acid residues such as Thr, Ser, Pro, and Gly in the N- and C-terminal domains had high mobility due to their random coil structure, while residues like Leu, Ile, Glu, Arg, and Lys in the rod domain showed no peaks, suggesting restricted motion due to a coiled-coil structure.
    Discuss this study in the Community →

    Related Community Posts Join

    6 / 190 results

      community 28m - Last 26 days have been great

      in Progress Pictures  14 upvotes 3 months ago
      A 28-year-old male shares his hair regrowth progress using finasteride, topical and oral minoxidil, hair peptide serum, ketoconazole shampoo, dermastamping, multivitamins, and a high-protein diet. He reports noticeable hair growth and minor side effects, emphasizing patience as key to success.

      community Can toppik fibers cause hair loss?

      in Chat  1 upvotes 2 years ago
      Toppik fibers causing hair loss is questioned. Applying it may pull out already shed hairs, and user experiences oral minoxidil shedding.

      community Hair progress from a year ago to today

      in Progress Pictures  128 upvotes 2 years ago
      A user shared their daily hair loss treatment routine, which includes 1mg of oral finasteride, 1mg of oral minoxidil, 1ml of castor oil, biotin, collagen, multivitamins, zinc, magnesium, liver supplements, RU58841 every night, and ketoconazole shampoo twice a week. They also mentioned a healthy lifestyle and a past unsuccessful hair transplant, but have experienced hair regrowth and thickening since starting their current regimen.

    Similar Research

    5 / 1000+ results