title: Lipid thermotropic transitions in human stratum corneum.
abstract: The techniques of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal perturbation infrared (IR) spectrometry were used to investigate thermal transitions in intact, fractionated, and lipid-extracted human stratum corneum. The DSC results show 3 major and one minor thermal transition in the range of 30-120 degrees C. Of particular interest to this study are 2 transitions seen near 65 degrees and 75 degrees C in intact stratum corneum and a stratum corneum membrane preparation, but absent from lipid-extracted samples. Results of IR spectrometry show that thermally induced spectral changes related to enhanced motion of the lipid acyl chains also occur in the region of about 60-80 degrees C. The combined DSC and IR results show that the thermal transitions near 65 degrees and 75 degrees C depend on water concentration in a manner identical to that seen for a variety of lipid-water systems. Taken together, these results suggest that thermal transitions occurring near 65 degrees and 85 degrees C involve increased acyl chain motion of stratum corneum lipids.
mesh_terms: D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D004817:Epidermis / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids