X-Ray Diffraction Study of the Nanostructural Dynamics of Fibrillar Systems of Hair Tissue
January 2015
in “
Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences Physics
”
TLDR Hair tissue can help monitor environmental and public health risks.
The study reviewed experimental diffraction and spectral analyses of hair tissue, focusing on the effects of various factors on its molecular and nanostructural ordering. Using X-ray fluorescence and diffraction with synchrotron radiation, researchers attributed hair's diffraction pattern to two fibrillar systems: intermediate keratin filaments and proteoglycan fibrils. The study examined how personal hygiene products and medicines affected hair's structural transformation and elemental composition. Proteoglycans were highlighted as key components maintaining structural homeostasis in biological tissues. The research suggested that hair tissue could be a valuable diagnostic material for monitoring environmental and public health risks.