Ph, cholesterol sulfate and fatty acids affect the skin lipid organisation

摘要

The main problem in transdermal drug delivery is the slow pentetration rate of drugs through the skin. The main barrier for diffusion of drugs through the skin is located in its outermost layer, the stratum corneum (SC). The SC consists of corneocytes embedded in lipid lamellar regions. The lipid regions are required for a competent skin barrier. Therefore insight in the role the various lipid classes and the microenvironment play in the SC lipid phase behavior is of great importance for understanding the barrier function of the skin. The SC lipids are mainly composed of ceramides (CER), cholesterol (CHOL) and free fatty acids (FFA).