Degradation of Human Hair Keratin Scaffold Implanted for Repairing Injured Skeletal Muscles

The study observed the degradation process of human hair keratin (HHK) scaffolds implanted in the skeletal muscles of 7 New Zealand rabbits. The HHK scaffolds, composed of three types with varying degradation speeds, were implanted after partial muscle resection. Over 6 weeks, the scaffolds degraded extracellularly into particles, which were phagocytosed by macrophagocytes and multinuclear giant cells, aided by the ubiquitin system and lysosomes. By the sixth week, newly generated muscle fibers were observed, indicating that the HHK scaffold not only degraded but also facilitated muscle regeneration by activating satellite cells.