A. Kuzuhara
Nov 1, 2005
Citations
0
Influential Citations
29
Citations
Journal
Biopolymers
Abstract
For the purpose of investigating in detail the influence of chemical modification using 2‐iminothiolane hydrochloride (2‐IT) on keratin fibers, the structure of cross‐sections at various depths of white human hair, treated with 2‐IT and then oxidized, was directly analyzed without isolating the cuticle and cortex, using Raman spectroscopy. In particular, the β‐sheet and/or random coil content (β/R) and the α‐helix (α) content in human hair fibers were estimated by amide I band analysis. The SS band intensity, amide III (unordered) band intensity, and β/R content existing from the cuticle region to the center of cortex region of virgin white human hair remarkably increased by performing the chemical modification using 2‐IT. On the other hand, not only the SS band intensity, but also SO band intensity existing throughout the cortex region of the bleached (damaged) white human hair increased by performing chemical modification using 2‐IT. In particular, β/R content existing throughout the cortex region of the bleached white human hair decreased, while the skeletal CC stretch (α) band intensity at 935 cm−1 and the α content remarkably increased. This indicates a secondary structural change from the random coil form to the α‐helix form in the proteins existing throughout the cortex region. From these experiments, we concluded that the formation of new disulfide (SS) groups resulting from chemical modification using 2‐IT induced the secondary structural changes of proteins existing throughout the cortex region. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 79: 173–184, 2005