Properties of Partially Extracted Hairs and Their Degradability by Proteases
January 2007
in “
Sen'i Gakkaishi
”
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.