TLDR Alkylation of human hair keratin allows for adjustable drug release rates in hydrogels for medical use.
The study investigated the alkylation of human hair keratin to create hydrogels with tunable erosion rates and drug delivery capabilities for tissue engineering. Alkylation reduced the free thiol content, affecting the disulfide crosslink density and thus the hydrogel's mechanical properties and erosion rates. The modified kerateine hydrogels demonstrated controlled release of therapeutic agents like ciprofloxacin, rhIGF-1, and rhBMP-2, without increasing cytotoxicity or affecting cell attachment. These findings suggested that alkylated keratin hydrogels could be useful for controlled therapeutic release and erosion in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.
118 citations,
January 2013 in “Biomaterials” Keratin from human hair shows promise for medical uses like wound healing and tissue engineering.
[object Object] 47 citations,
September 2011 in “Acta biomaterialia” Protein composition greatly affects the function of keratin biomaterials.
140 citations,
August 2011 in “Biomaterials” Keratose, derived from human hair, is a non-toxic biomaterial good for tissue regeneration and integrates well with body tissues.
99 citations,
June 2011 in “Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A” Keratin hydrogels can slowly release effective ciprofloxacin to prevent infections.
309 citations,
October 2007 in “Biomaterials” Keratin from human hair helps nerves heal faster.
41 citations,
November 2020 in “Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces” Different hair protein amounts change the strength of keratin/chitosan gels, useful for making predictable tissue engineering materials.
[object Object] 
30 citations,
March 2017 in “ACS biomaterials science & engineering” Hair follicles are valuable for regenerative medicine and wound healing.
22 citations,
August 2015 in “PloS one” Keratin from hair binds well to gold and BMP-2, useful for bone repair.
Human hair keratins can self-assemble and support cell growth, useful for biomedical applications.
11 citations,
April 2022 in “Biophysical Journal” Disulfide bonds in keratin fibers break more easily under stress, especially when wet, affecting fiber strength.
