Abstract
Keratins are a family of fibrous proteins anticipated to possess wide-ranging biomedical applications due to their abundance, physicochemical properties and intrinsic biological activity. This review mainly focuses on the biomaterials derived from three major sources of keratins; namely human hair, wool and feather, that have effective applications in tissue engineering, wound healing and drug delivery. This article offers five viewpoints regarding keratin i) an introduction to keratin protein extraction and keratin-based scaffold fabrication methods ii) applications in nerve and bone tissue engineering iii) a review on the keratin dressings applied to different types of wounds to facilitate wound healing and thereby repair the skin iv) the utilization of keratinous materials as a carrier system for therapeutics with a controlled manner v) a discussion regarding the main challenges for using keratin in biomedical applications as well as its future prospects.
•A review on the progress of keratinous biomaterials from hair, wool and feather•The extraction methods, structures and properties of keratin are introduced.•The fabrication methods of film, sponge, hydrogel and nanofiber are presented.•Applying keratin in tissue engineering, wound healing and drug delivery is summarized.•The challenges and guidelines for improvement of keratin biomaterials are discussed.