Experiment study of human hair keratin transplanted to adult rat after spinal cord injury

The study investigated the effects of transplanted human hair keratin (HHK) on repairing acute spinal cord injury (SCI) in adult rats. The results showed that the group with HHK transplants experienced less shrinkage in the spinal cord transection area compared to the non-transplant group. Additionally, the HHK group retained some neurons in the gray matter, exhibited reduced demyelination and microcyst formation, and showed assembly of macrophages and oligodendrocytes around the HHK. The study concluded that HHK could intervene in pathological processes, promote spinal cord function recovery, enhance glial cell regeneration, and reduce myelin damage, providing a morphological basis for its potential use in SCI repair.