Dielectric phenomena associated with the keratin–glucose interactions of nail plate

• We report effect of glycation on dielectric behavior of nail plate.
• Measurements were performed in the α-dispersion region.
• Dielectric phenomena due to keratin–glucose interactions.
• Loss tangent is higher for diabetic nail than for healthy one.

In this study, we analyzed the effect of water and frequency on the dielectric properties of the nail plate in healthy individuals and in diabetic patients. The temperature dependencies of the loss tangent for both healthy and diabetic nail represent the relation between the electrical energy lost and stored in keratin–glucose–water complexes of this tissue. The differences between these materials concern the temperature ranges in which there appears the decomposition of loosely bound water. The effect of glycation on the loss tangent of the wet and the dry nail is supported by higher values of this parameter than in those describing the healthy samples in the whole temperature range and above 100 °C, respectively. In addition, glycation lead to distinct increase in the dielectric relaxation decrement in permittivity and dielectric loss between the frequency of 500 Hz and 100 kHz for the wet and the dry nail. The results of this study indicate that the dielectric spectroscopy may be useful in observing the decomposition of water in the diabetic nail plate.

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