HYDROGEL AUF KERATIN-BASIS FÜR BIOMEDIZINISCHE ANWENDUNGEN UND DESSEN HERSTELLUNGSVERFAHREN

• Main Authors: SMITH, ROBERT A, BLANCHARD, CHERYL R, TIMMONS, SCOTT F
• Format: Patent
• Language: German
• Published: 26.02.2009
• Subjects: CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, ORSURGICAL ARTICLES; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; DERIVATIVES OF NATURAL MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION, OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, OR SURGICALARTICLES; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS INGENERAL; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PEPTIDES; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; SPECIFIC USE OF COSMETICS OR SIMILAR TOILETPREPARATIONS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP

A keratin hydrogel which can be used as a wound dressing and cell scaffolding. The keratin hydrogel is formed from clean, washed hair by partially oxidizing a significant percentage of disulfide linkages to form cysteic acid groups, while some disulfide linkages remain intact. The partially oxidized hair is treated with a reducing agent, thereby reducing most of the remaining disulfide linkages to cysteine-thioglycollate disulfide and cysteine groups. A soluble fraction of hair is collected and oxidized, such that the reduced sulfur groups are allowed to reform disulfide linkages, thereby binding the keratin together. The cysteic acid groups remain, providing hydrophilic sites within the hydrogel. A higher degree of partial oxidation results in a greater abundance of hydrophilic cysteic acid groups in the hydrogel.