A simple improved method for protein extraction from human head hairs.

This study was conducted to establish a simple efficient method for extracting the protein from human head hair materials, which can be a useful tool for the protein analysis applicable to various types of human head hairs. The method developed saves extraction time and effort considerably. The method includes four steps: cutting the hair samples into small pieces 1-2 mm in length, washing them with distilled water, incubating the hair samples in a buffer solution at 50 degrees C for 24 hr, and finally filtering the incubated mixtures through three layers of nylon mesh. This method is reproducible and reliable. SDS-PAGE analysis of the hair protein extracted by this method shows a clear protein profile on the gel, which is frequently observed in other hair sources. Two smaller sizes of molecular weights are also detected with the SDS-PAGE analysis. Not commonly found in other hair sources, they seem to be other types of human hair proteins.