Facile and Efficient Enzymatic Methods for Harvesting or Removal of Cuticle Cells from Human Hair Shafts

    December 2021 in “ Journal of natural fibers ”
    Nan Zhang, Huiying Lai, Archana Gautam, Zhitong Zhao, Qiang Wang, Kee Woei Ng
    TLDR The conclusion is that new methods for isolating hair cuticle cells and removing the cuticle layer are effective and convenient.
    Researchers developed enzymatic methods to isolate and remove cuticle cells from human hair shafts. Using esperase for 3 days, cuticle cells were effectively harvested, while combining L-cysteine with esperase or savinase removed the entire cuticle layer within 4 hours. The isolated cuticle cells and descaled hair were analyzed, revealing that cuticle cells mainly contain β-sheets and random coil structures, and are more thermally stable below 260°C compared to descaled hair, which contains more α-helical structures. These methods are convenient, easily controlled, and useful for surface modification and structural disintegration of hair fibers.
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