Properties of Partially Extracted Hairs and Their Degradability by Proteases

    January 2007 in “ Sen'i Gakkaishi ”
    Chikara Yamauchi, Wataru Okazaki, Tadashi Yoshida, Aya Karasawa, Kohei Shimoda
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    TLDR Mf-rich hair degrades more than Ma-rich hair, especially with Proteinase K.
    The study investigated the degradation of matrix (Ma) protein and microfibril (Mf) protein in human hair by proteases. Ma-rich-fiber and Mf-rich-fiber were prepared from partially extracted hair and treated with five proteases. Mf-rich-fiber showed significantly higher degradation than Ma-rich-fiber, with Proteinase K being the most effective. Amino acid analysis indicated that the degradable fraction resembled Mf protein, and keratin-fibers treated with Proteinase K exhibited a degraded Mf protein appearance.
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