Abstract
Difficulties in obtaining human nails that are large enough for examining the penetration of drug formulations led us to produce keratin films regenerated from human hair. We assume that these films can simulate human nail plates in drug penetration and permeation tests and can serve as a biological model for studying onychomycosis. The films were formed from keratin extracted from human hair using dithiothreitol, urea and thiourea. The obtained keratin extract was dispensed into Teflon rings and dried at 40 °C and then cured at 110 °C. The structure, surface morphology, chemical characterization and thermal stability of the films were characterized and were compared to those of human nail, hair and bovine hoof samples using SDS-electrophoresis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The structure of the obtained films was found to be closer to human nails than to hair or bovine hooves. The keratin films were infected with Trichophyton rubrum and were proven to be appropriate for serving as a model for studying onychomycosis.
Highlights
More than 10% of the global population is affected by fungal diseases on nail plates and nailbeds, known as onychomycosis, which are caused mainly by dermatophytes [1]
A maximal protein concentration of 30 mg mL−1 was obtained after ca. 32 h of extraction with the sol-DDT solution, whereas a protein concentration of 28 mg mL−1 was reached after 70 h with the sol-ME solution
The solutions became opaque over the course of the keratin extraction, probably
Summary
More than 10% of the global population is affected by fungal diseases on nail plates and nailbeds, known as onychomycosis, which are caused mainly by dermatophytes [1]. The prepared solutions are usually injected into liquid or solid media that are pre-infected with fungi or their spores, and the efficiency of the antifungal agents is tested only qualitatively This method cannot be considered universal, since it does not relate to nail involvement and microstructure. Another approach to testing antifungal drugs in in vitro experiments is based on adding crushed pieces of human nail plates to the medium as a source of keratin [5,6]. A model that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of various drug formulations could make a significant contribution to preclinical and preliminary assessments of drug penetration Such models have not been developed to date due to low availability of human nail material. The keratin films can be used in further experiments on modelling and treatment of onychomycosis
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