THERMAL PROPERTIES OF A MODEL BIO-POLYMER SKIN: SHEDDED SNAKE SKINS

摘要

Shedded snake skins are natural biological macromolecules. The use of thesernskins precludes the use of live animals and skin from deceased animals. Shed snake skinrnwas shown to be similar to human stratum corneum in terms of thickness, composition ofrnconstituents and structure. They more closely resemble the human cuticle andrnanatomically they are different from human skin for they have the heterogeneous reptilianrnintegument. In recent years, there is a growing interest in employing the transdermalrnpathway for administration of drugs. In order to develop knowledge of the drug transportrnproperties or the effects of sun radiation on human skin one needs a practical human skinrnmodel. We propose that shedded snake skins are biological polymers which fit the needrnand are readily available. We have developed in our laboratories a correlation of thernthermal properties between the human and shedded snake skins. Based on theserncorrelations, we are studying the effects of chemicals and radiation on shedded snake skinrnas predictive model membranes for human skin behavior. The present study concerns thernevaluation of various shedded snake skins by Thermal Mechanical Analysis, TMA. Thernlow temperature TMA will be used to verify the effectiveness of sun screen creams orrnlotions.