Repair of Damaged Hair Protein Fiber by Jointly Using Transglutaminase and Keratin
January 2021
in “
ScienceAsia
”
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Studysummary In this study, combined treatment with transglutaminase and keratin significantly repaired damaged hair by improving its structural properties, reducing swelling, and enhancing crosslink activities, as evidenced by microscopy and spectroscopy analyses. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
In the 2021 study, researchers investigated the effectiveness of a combined treatment using transglutaminase (TG enzyme) and keratin to repair damaged hair. They prepared a TG-keratin repair solution and applied it to hair samples, measuring various properties before and after treatment. The results showed significant improvements: alkali solubility decreased from 16.14% to 4.92%, fracture stress increased from 0.832 N to 1.668 N, fracture strain rose from 8.81 mm to 10.17 mm, and swelling rate dropped from 38.34% to 2.34%. Additionally, spectroscopic analyses indicated that the treatment led to more amide bonds, higher crystallinity, and stronger crosslink activities in the hair proteins. Microscopic observations revealed a smoother hair surface with fewer warped scales. This study was the first to apply enzyme technology to hair repair, suggesting a new direction for environmentally friendly and efficient biological hair care and the application of protein-based materials.
