Sulfonated Keratin Wound Dressings for Moisture Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wound dressings for chronic wounds are inadequate due to poor affinity with the wounded area, insufficient vapor permeability, and harsh manufacturing processes that damage keratin proteins, leading to ineffective long-term healing.
Innovation Solution
Development of wound care products using intact, S-sulfonated keratin protein fractions, specifically intermediate filament proteins, which are combined with water-soluble polymers to create hydrogels, films, or foams that maintain a moist environment and enhance wound healing through improved physico-mechanical properties and biocompatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional oxidation or reduction processes are used to prepare keratin materials, then the keratin becomes soluble or reactive, but the protein structure is damaged and core physical characteristics are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameter from conventional oxidation or reduction to sulfonation, which modifies the keratin protein to create solubility while preserving the protein structure. The sulfonation process introduces sulfonic acid groups that enhance water solubility without breaking the peptide bonds or destroying the tertiary structure of the keratin.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses sulfonation as an intermediary chemical modification that serves as a bridge between the native insoluble keratin and the desired soluble form. This intermediary process allows the keratin to be processed and applied topically while maintaining its essential structural properties, unlike direct oxidation or reduction methods.
2Ease of manufacture
If synthetic wound dressing materials are used, then the dressings are inexpensive and easily available, but they have poor affinity with the wounded area and insufficient vapor permeability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material by combining sulfonated keratin protein with appropriate carriers or matrices to form wound dressing compositions. This composite approach allows the material to exhibit both the biocompatibility and biological activity of natural keratin and the structural properties needed for effective wound dressing application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies sulfonated keratin specifically to the wound interface where biological activity is needed, while the carrier material provides the structural framework. This local quality differentiation ensures that the area contacting the wound has optimal biocompatibility and affinity, while the overall dressing maintains structural integrity and vapor permeability.
3Productivity
If biological materials such as cells and growth factors are used in wound dressings, then healing may be accelerated, but the cost increases significantly and storage stability becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses sulfonated keratin, a stable and cost-effective material that can be manufactured without complex biological processing. While it may not have the same potency as living cells or growth factors, it provides sustained benefit over the wound healing period at a fraction of the cost, serving as a practical alternative for chronic wound management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified version of biological wound healing promotion by using sulfonated keratin that mimics the beneficial effects of complex biological materials. The sulfonated keratin provides a bioactive interface that supports healing through its structural and chemical properties without requiring the complexity of live cells or purified growth factors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The use of S-sulfonated keratin protein fractions in wound dressings improves wound healing by maintaining a moist environment, enhancing tissue repair, and providing biocompatible, non-toxic, and non-antigenic solutions that accelerate the healing process without the drawbacks of existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
combined with water-soluble polymers to create hydrogels
Implementation Method 2
maintaining a moist environment
Implementation Method 3
insufficient vapour permeability
Implementation Method 4
biocompatible, non-toxic, and non-antigenic solutions
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a would care product that provides a biochemical environment around a wound to promote wound healing. The wound care product includes a keratin protein fraction material in which the protein fraction is intact, is from the intermediate filament protein family or the high sulfur protein family and in which the protein fraction is S-sulfonated. The invention also described a method of making a wound care product.