THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF LIPID BILAYERS IN THE DETERMINATION OF STRATUM-CORNEUM PERMEABILITY

Water permeability of reconstituted stratum corneum using various lyotropic liquid crystal mixtures of simple lipids is found to be similar to that of intact stratum corneum. Optical microscopy showed that the integrity of the bilayer arrangement of the lipid molecules is maintained in the reconstituted material. The formation of the lipid lamellae found in the SC is discussed in terms of stability at the water-amphiphile interface. The relative invariance of the water flux values with the type of lipid mixture chosen is interpreted, therefore, as indicating the prime importance of the bilayer arrangement in determining the barrier function.