Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkiye Klinikleri Dermatoloji, cilt.21, sa.1, ss.25-39, 2011 (Scopus)
Human skin is a well engineered organ that protects organism against enviromental factors and regulates heat and water loss from the body. It has a large surface area and it is easily accessible. Therefore, it offers an ideal application site to deliver therapeutic agents for both local and systemic actions. However, the outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum, is a highly efficient and well organized barrier. Stratum corneum has been represented as a brick and mortar model and the unique mixture of its intercellular lipids composed mainly of ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids. Understanding of the structure and function of the skin and stratum corneum is vital to develop novel formulations designed for care and treatment of skin and to evaluate permeation of drug molecules through it. Parameters such as transepidermal water loss, hydration state and amount of surface lipids of stratum corneum, mechanical and surface properties of skin, and conformational order of intercellular lipids have been investigated in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro by using various biophysical methods. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the use of biophysical methods mostly used to assess the barrier function and structural parameters of skin in the fields of dermatology, pharmaceutical technology and cosmetology. Copyright © 2011 by Türkiye Klinikleri.