Abstract
Phase behaviors and the mechanisms of the formation of the lamellar membranes for artificial intercellular stratum corneum lipids containing a synthetic pseudo-ceramide (SLE) were studied by mixing the equimole of SLE and other components of natural intercellular stratum corneum lipids (SCL) by X-ray and DSC measurements. The results showed that SCL forms a stable lamellar membrane being essentially identical to that of natural SCL. From the fact that a stable lamellar structure was obtained only in the mixed system of SLE and long-chain fatty acids, we conclude that the fatty acids play an important role as a co-operator of a self-organization of natural SCL.
