Amounts of Fibrous Proteins and Matrix Substances in Hairs of Different Races

Abstract

Fibrous proteins (FPs) and matrix substances (MSs) were extracted as S-carboxymethylated (SCM) derivatives from scalp hair of five individuals each of the Mongoloid, Negroid and Caucasoid races. The ratio of the extracted SCM FPs to SCM MSs in dry weight was calculated for each hair specimen. The ratios obtained from the Mongoloid hair were 0.45 +/- 0.03; those from the Negroid, 0.18 +/- 0.02; and those from the Caucasoid, 0.29 +/- 0.02. It has thus been suggested that the ratios of FP to MS contents in the hair may be involved in the determination of the macroscopic racial variations in the form of hair.