title: Permeability and microstructure of model stratum corneum lipid membranes containing ceramides with long (C16) and very long (C24) acyl chains.
abstract: The Stratum corneum (SC) prevents water loss from the body and absorption of chemicals. SC intercellular spaces contain ceramides (Cer), free fatty acids (FFA), cholesterol (Chol) and cholesteryl sulfate (CholS). Cer with "very long" acyl chains (for example, N-lignoceroyl-sphingosine, CerNS24) are important for skin barrier function, whereas increased levels of "long" acyl Cer (for example, N-palmitoyl-sphingosine, CerNS16) occur in patients suffering from atopic eczema or psoriasis. We studied the impact of the replacement of CerNS24 by CerNS16 on the barrier properties and microstructure of model SC lipid membranes composed of Cer/FFA/Chol/CholS. Membranes containing the long CerNS16 were significantly more permeable to water (by 38-53%), theophylline (by 50-55%) and indomethacin (by 83-120%) than those containing the very long CerNS24 (either with lignoceric acid or a mixture of long to very long chain FFA). Langmuir monolayers with CerNS24 were more condensed than with CerNS16 and atomic force microscopy showed differences in domain formation. X-ray powder diffraction revealed that CerNS24-based membranes formed one lamellar phase and separated Chol, whereas the CerNS16-based membranes formed up to three phases and Chol. These results suggest that replacement of CerNS24 by CerNS16 has a direct negative impact on membrane structure and permeability.
authors.affiliation: Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. Electronic address: pullmanp@faf.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pullmannová
authors.affiliation: Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ludmila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pavlíková
authors.affiliation: Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Andrej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kováčik
authors.affiliation: Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sochorová
authors.affiliation: Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Barbora
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Školová
authors.affiliation: University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slepička
authors.affiliation: University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maixner
authors.affiliation: Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jarmila
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zbytovská
authors.affiliation: Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Kateřina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vávrová
mesh_terms: D002518:Ceramides / Q000737:chemistry*; D002784:Cholesterol; D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D004817:Epidermis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids; D006801:Humans; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D010539:Permeability; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D002784:Cholesterol; C007045:cholesteryl sulfate; C010210:lignoceric acid