Molecular Mobility in Keratin-Rich Materials Monitored by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: A Tool for the Evaluation of Structure-Giving Properties.

ABSTRACT: Keratins are structural proteins that are abundant in human skin, nails, and hair, where they provide mechanical strength. In the present study, we investigate the molecular mobilities and structures of three keratin-rich materials with clearly different mechanical properties: nails, stratum corneum (upper layer of epidermis), and keratinocytes (from lower layer of epidermis). We use solid-state NMR on natural-abundance ¹³C to characterize small changes in molecular dynamics in these biological materials with close to atomistic resolution. One strong advantage of this method is that it detects small fractions of mobile components in a molecularly complex material while it simultaneously gives information on the rigid components in the very same sample. The molecular mobility can

SUBMITTER: Gunnarsson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10265668 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature