Methods of Keratin Extraction from Wool and Hair and Prospects of Their Application in Biomedicine and Bioengineering

January 2019 in “ Studia Biologica ”

V. V. Mykhaliuk, V. V. Havryliak

keratin disulfide bonds oxidation reduction sulfitolysis S-sulfonate anions biocompatibility cytotoxicity biomedicine hair pathologies tissue engineering biomaterials

TLDR Extracted keratin from wool and hair can be used in medicine and bioengineering.

The article reviewed methods of keratin extraction from wool and hair, emphasizing the importance of breaking disulfide bonds to convert keratin into a soluble form while preserving its native properties. This process maintained keratin's resistance to chemical and biological factors, high biocompatibility, and low cytotoxicity. The extraction methods included oxidation, reduction, and sulfitolysis reactions, with reduction being reversible and sulfitolysis forming S-sulfonate anions. The study highlighted potential applications of extracted keratin in biomedicine for treating hair pathologies, creating keratin-based biomaterials for tissue engineering, and forensic science due to keratin's environmental resistance.

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Methods of Keratin Extraction from Wool and Hair and Prospects of Their Application in Biomedicine and Bioengineering

Research cited in this study

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research The Keratins of the Human Beard Hair Medulla: The Riddle in the Middle

research Preparation of Water Soluble Wool Keratin and Its Application for Human Hair

research Preparation of Scaffolds from Human Hair Proteins for Tissue-Engineering Applications

research The Use of Keratin Biomaterials Derived from Human Hair for the Promotion of Rapid Regeneration of Peripheral Nerves

research The Oxidative Degradation of Keratin in Wool and Bovine Hair

research The Intermediate Filament Architecture as Determined by X-Ray Diffraction Modeling of Hard Alpha-Keratin

research Human Hair: A Unique Physicochemical Composite

research Lead-Revealed Lipid Organization In Human Hair

research Hard and Soft Principles Defining the Structure, Function, and Regulation of Keratin Intermediate Filaments

research A Rapid Extraction Procedure of Human Hair Proteins and Identification of Phosphorylated Species

research The Catalog of Human Hair Keratins

research The Catalog of Human Hair Keratins

research Patterns of Expression of Trichocytic and Epithelial Cytokeratins in Mammalian Tissues II: Concomitant and Mutually Exclusive Synthesis of Trichocytic and Epithelial Cytokeratins in Diverse Human and Bovine Tissues (Hair Follicle, Nail Bed and Matrix, Lingual Papilla, Thymic Reticulum)

research Patterns of Expression of Trichocytic and Epithelial Cytokeratins in Mammalian Tissues: Human and Bovine Hair Follicles

research The Complement of Native Alpha-Keratin Polypeptides of Hair-Forming Cells: A Subset of Eight Polypeptides That Differ from Epithelial Cytokeratins

research Hair Keratin: Composition, Structure and Biogenesis

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