Molecular marker approaches for tracking redox damage and protection in keratins

There is increasing awareness of the importance of reductive and oxidative (redox) protein damage in protein-based materials including, hair, wool, nails, and skin. Light-induced damage to protein-based materials is of particular concern because of its impact on age-related degradation and product life spans. Consequently, cosmetic applications frequently target hair and skin restoration, where the integrity of the constituent filamentous proteins is essential to a healthy appearance. The keratins constitute an important subset of the structural proteins within skin, hair, and wool. We will introduce a means to assess damage to this important group of proteins at the molecular level, utilizing proteomic techniques to track the formation or degradation of sensitive peptides within intermediate filament proteins. The degradation of three molecular markers of redox damage, the peptides SFGYR, LASDDFR, and DVEEWYIR, along with the formation of their oxidized products, is demonstrated after exposure to ultraviolet A, ultraviolet B, and blue light. The method is shown to be suitable for evaluating the protective effect of treatments, as lower levels of oxidative markers were observed after the application of a protective fiber treatment. Molecular-level redox tracking will allow more targeted design and evaluation of protection and repair treatments for protein systems.