Development of a stratum corneum substitute for in vitro percutaneous penetration studies : a skin barrier model comprising synthetic stratum corneum lipids

The research outlined in this thesis was focused on the development of a skin barrier model, which can substitute for stratum corneum in diffusion studies. This so-called stratum corneum substitute (SCS) was prepared with reconstituted SC lipids (cholesterol, free fatty acids and ceramides) on a porous substrate. The results convincingly show that the SCS, which mimics the composition, organisation and orientation of the intercellular lipids in the SC, can be successfully used to study solute permeation through the skin. Moreover, the SCS offers excellent possibilities to investigate the role of each lipid subclass for proper membrane organisation and barrier function. The barrier properties of the SCS can easily be adjusted by applying different amounts of lipids or by modifying its lipid composition, mimicking that of diseased skin. Such studies are crucial to increase our insight in the impaired barrier function as observed in diseased and dry skin.