Características ópticas y piezoeléctricas en uñas de personas diabéticas
Características ópticas y piezoeléctricas en uñas de personas diabéticas
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.91925190213
Palavras-chave: UV-Vis, piezoelectricidad, AFM, queratina, uñas, diabetes.
Keywords: UV-Vis, piezoelectricity , AFM, keratin,nails, diabetes.
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most serious public health problems facing Mexico. The most concerning factor is the lack of control over the disease, which directly causes severe damage to the patient’s health and quality of life. Piezoelectricity in human nails is an interesting phenomenon related to the mechanical and electrical properties of keratin, the main structural component of nails. While piezoelectricity in biological materials such as bones, tendons, and skin is well known, research on this effect in nails is more limited. Keratin, a highly ordered protein, has a helical structure that may generate piezoelectricity under mechanical deformation. Nail samples were subjected to mechanical force, which caused an electrical potential of 48 mVpp on the sample's surface. Piezoelectricity in biological tissues depends on the structural organization and density of the proteins. In AFM images, the presence of clustered keratin microfibril structures can be observed. The compaction of the fibrous structures is not uniform, and the image shows surface irregularities, which could indicate structural changes in the keratin. In blood, changes in protein structure affect the absorption spectrum, as seen in the 415 nm peak (Soret peak) of glycated hemoglobin. If the degree of glycation correlates with structural changes in proteins like keratin in nails, a relationship between the UV-Vis spectrum of blood and the piezoelectricity in nails could potentially be established.
- Margarita Galindo Mentle
- Luis Ángel Blas Sánchez