Keratin Nanoparticles Synthesis by Desolvation Method using Tannic Acid as a Natural and Non-toxic Crosslinker

Due to the strong emphasis on environmental protection in today s world, trying to synthesize eco-friendly products with the lowest harmful environmental effects possible is one of the primary purposes of researchers. Keratin is a natural-based protein with various applications, including biomedical, drug delivery, and cosmetics. However, there have been only limited studies on nanoproteins, especially nanokeratins. Therefore, in this paper, keratin nanoparticles (KNPs) are synthesized by the desolvation method using Tannic acid as a natural-based crosslinker without any substantial toxicity and carcinogenicity. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed that the chemical structure of the keratin nanoparticles remained unchanged compared to the raw initial keratin. Finally, the method presented in this paper is a facile method without using any toxic and hazardous substances to synthesize keratin nanoparticles for drug delivery and cosmetics applications.