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