TLDR Human hair has different protein structures in its cuticle and cortex.
The study utilized attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy to analyze the structure of human hair fibers, focusing on the cuticle, cortex, and cuticle-cortex intercellular regions without removing the cuticle. The cuticle was found to consist mainly of proteins in beta-sheet, disorder, and beta-turn configurations, while the cortex exhibited alpha-helical structures due to alpha keratin, along with beta-sheet, beta-turn, and disorder structures. The cuticle-cortex interface primarily contained disorder and beta-turn structures with minor beta-sheet configurations. These findings aligned with existing literature on hair fiber structure.
42 citations,
January 2005 in “Applied spectroscopy” Hair from breast cancer patients shows changes in structure and composition, and a test using these changes detected cancer but also falsely identified some healthy samples as cancerous.
203 citations,
June 2003 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” Human hair, despite its different types, shares common traits that affect its structure and response to treatments.
17 citations,
June 2001 in “Journal of the National Cancer Institute” A specific hair diffraction pattern may indicate breast cancer if tested with the correct method.
30 citations,
March 2017 in “ACS biomaterials science & engineering” Hair follicles are valuable for regenerative medicine and wound healing.
9 citations,
May 2012 in “PLOS ONE” ILK is essential for skin development, pigmentation, and healing.
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November 2014 in “Histochemistry and Cell Biology” The we/we wal/wal mice have defects in hair growth and skin layer formation, causing hair loss, useful for understanding alopecia.
74 citations,
January 2013 in “Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy” The conclusion is that hair growth can be improved by activating hair cycles, changing the surrounding environment, healing wounds to create new hair follicles, and using stem cell technology.
January 2020 in “Der Pharmacia Lettre” Nanoparticle-based herbal remedies could be promising for treating hair loss with fewer side effects and lower cost, but more research is needed.
