Lead-Revealed Lipid Organization In Human Hair

February 2003 in “ Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects ”

Loïc Bertrand, J. Doucet, A. Simionovici, G. Tsoucaris, Philippe Walter

lipids fatty acid bilayers calcium soaps lead ion treatment

Studysummary This study found that lead treatment enhances the imaging of organized hair lipid structures, revealing their orientation and possible composition as lead and calcium soaps, with potential applications in various fields.

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The study revealed that the organized fraction of lipids in human hair consisted of fatty acid bilayers, partly in the form of calcium soaps. Lead fixation on these lipids significantly enhanced the diffraction pattern, showing a strong orientation of these soaps parallel to the hair axis. This suggested that lead ion treatment could be a novel tool for revealing the presence and organization of lipids in hair, with potential applications in medical, environmental, and archaeological contexts.

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