Abstract
The regulation of water loss through the skin is a poorly understood but crucial process in maintaining terrestrial life-forms. In mammalian skin, the outermost layer, called the stratum corneum (SC), is rate-limiting to water loss. We have evaluated temperature-dependent changes in water vapor permeability and infrared spectra of porcine SC. In particular, we have analyzed the infrared absorption peaks due to the extracellular lipids of the SC. These results show a remarkable correlation between water permeability and the frequency of the C-H stretching vibrations over a broad range of temperature. Since the spectral changes reflect an increased number of alkyl gauche conformers, these results suggest that water permeability is dependent upon the hydrocarbon-chain disorder of SC lipids.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- BLANK I. H. Factors which influence the water content of the stratum corneum. J Invest Dermatol. 1952 Jun;18(6):433–440. doi: 10.1038/jid.1952.52. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Blank I. H., Moloney J., 3rd, Emslie A. G., Simon I., Apt C. The diffusion of water across the stratum corneum as a function of its water content. J Invest Dermatol. 1984 Feb;82(2):188–194. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12259835. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cameron D. G., Martin A., Mantsch H. H. Membrane isolation alters the gel to liquid crystal transition of Acholeplasma laidlawii B. Science. 1983 Jan 14;219(4581):180–182. doi: 10.1126/science.6849129. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cameron D. G., Martin A., Moffatt D. J., Mantsch H. H. Infrared spectroscopic study of the gel to liquid-crystal phase transition in live Acholeplasma laidlawii cells. Biochemistry. 1985 Jul 30;24(16):4355–4359. doi: 10.1021/bi00337a016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Crowe J. H., Hoekstra F. A., Crowe L. M. Membrane phase transitions are responsible for imbibitional damage in dry pollen. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Jan;86(2):520–523. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.2.520. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Galey W. R., Lonsdale H. K., Nacht S. The in vitro permeability of skin and buccal mucosa to selected drugs and tritiated water. J Invest Dermatol. 1976 Dec;67(6):713–717. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12598596. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Golden G. M., Guzek D. B., Harris R. R., McKie J. E., Potts R. O. Lipid thermotropic transitions in human stratum corneum. J Invest Dermatol. 1986 Mar;86(3):255–259. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12285373. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Golden G. M., Guzek D. B., Kennedy A. H., McKie J. E., Potts R. O. Stratum corneum lipid phase transitions and water barrier properties. Biochemistry. 1987 Apr 21;26(8):2382–2388. doi: 10.1021/bi00382a045. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Golden G. M., McKie J. E., Potts R. O. Role of stratum corneum lipid fluidity in transdermal drug flux. J Pharm Sci. 1987 Jan;76(1):25–28. doi: 10.1002/jps.2600760108. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lieb W. R., Stein W. D. Biological membranes behave as non-porous polymeric sheets with respect to the diffusion of non-electrolytes. Nature. 1969 Oct 18;224(5216):240–243. doi: 10.1038/224240a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Scheuplein R. J., Blank I. H. Permeability of the skin. Physiol Rev. 1971 Oct;51(4):702–747. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1971.51.4.702. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wertz P. W., Swartzendruber D. C., Abraham W., Madison K. C., Downing D. T. Essential fatty acids and epidermal integrity. Arch Dermatol. 1987 Oct;123(10):1381–1384. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Williams M. L., Elias P. M. The extracellular matrix of stratum corneum: role of lipids in normal and pathological function. Crit Rev Ther Drug Carrier Syst. 1987;3(2):95–122. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]