8 - Functionalization of biopolymer keratin-based biomaterials and their absorption properties for healthcare application

Abstract

Keratin-based biomaterials have been investigated extensively over the past few decades because of their intrinsic biological properties and excellent biocompatibility, as keratin contains high cysteine content (7%–13%) as compared to other structural proteins. Keratin-based biofilms open an entirely new solution space for a wide range of disciplines. In the past few decades, naturally derived biomaterials have been extensively used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, owing to their biological function, structural support, excellent biocompatibility, and favorable biodegradability characteristics. Traditionally, keratin has been extracted from wool, feathers, horns, and other animal sources for industrial use. It has also been used as a biomaterial to develop various useful materials, such as scaffolds, hydrogels, and other forms for biomedical applications. Recently, keratin extracted from human hair has emerged as a fascinating biomaterial that, as a human-derived protein, exhibits excellent biocompatibility, no immune reaction upon transplantation, good cellular interaction activity, and biodegradability. Keratin from human hair, feathers, and wool shows promise as an original raw material that will enable fibrous composite materials of this kind to be manufactured. In this chapter we emphasize the importance of keratin, including its history, broad classification, and properties, and how it can be functionalized to provide modified properties. This chapter also deals with the kinds of bonds in keratin and the uses of keratin-based biomaterials in various fields, such as biomedical and cosmetics applications. Finally, we emphasize the capacity of keratin for the adsorption of metals.