TY - JOUR
T1 - In Situ Synthesis of Keratin and Melanin Chromophoric Submicron Particles
AU - Nowogrodski, Chen
AU - Damatov, Yaniv
AU - Sapru, Sunaina
AU - Shoseyov, Oded
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society
PY - 2023/8/1
Y1 - 2023/8/1
N2 - In humans, melanin plays an esthetic role, dictating hair and skin color and traits, while keratin is the protein that comprises most of the epidermis layer. Eumelanin and pheomelanin are types of melanin synthesized from the same building blocks via enzymatic oxidation. Pheomelanin has an additional building block, cysteine amino acid, which affects its final structure. Keratin contains high cysteine content, and by exploiting free thiols in hydrolyzed keratin, we demonstrate the formation of keratin-melanin (KerMel) chromophoric submicron particles. Cryo-TEM analyses found KerMel particle sizes to be 100-300 nm and arranged in the form of a central keratin particle with polymerized l-dopa chains. Attenuated total reflection (ATR)-FTIR, UV-vis, and fluorescence measurements identified new chemical bonds, indicating the formation of KerMel particles. Finally, KerMel replicated natural skin tones and proved cytocompatibility for human epidermal keratinocytes at concentrations below 0.1 mg/mL. Taken together, KerMel is a novel, tunable material that has the potential to integrate into the cosmetic industry.
AB - In humans, melanin plays an esthetic role, dictating hair and skin color and traits, while keratin is the protein that comprises most of the epidermis layer. Eumelanin and pheomelanin are types of melanin synthesized from the same building blocks via enzymatic oxidation. Pheomelanin has an additional building block, cysteine amino acid, which affects its final structure. Keratin contains high cysteine content, and by exploiting free thiols in hydrolyzed keratin, we demonstrate the formation of keratin-melanin (KerMel) chromophoric submicron particles. Cryo-TEM analyses found KerMel particle sizes to be 100-300 nm and arranged in the form of a central keratin particle with polymerized l-dopa chains. Attenuated total reflection (ATR)-FTIR, UV-vis, and fluorescence measurements identified new chemical bonds, indicating the formation of KerMel particles. Finally, KerMel replicated natural skin tones and proved cytocompatibility for human epidermal keratinocytes at concentrations below 0.1 mg/mL. Taken together, KerMel is a novel, tunable material that has the potential to integrate into the cosmetic industry.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85164963451&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsomega.3c00189
DO - 10.1021/acsomega.3c00189
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C2 - 37546605
AN - SCOPUS:85164963451
SN - 2470-1343
VL - 8
SP - 26762
EP - 26774
JO - ACS Omega
JF - ACS Omega
IS - 30
ER -