Navigation Links
Synthesizing the most natural of all skin creams
Date:3/17/2009

Even after nine months soaking in the womb, a newborn's skin is smooth unlike an adult's in the bath. While occupying a watery, warm environment, the newborn manages to develop a skin fully equipped to protect it in a cold, dry and bacteria-infected world. A protective cream called Vernix caseosa (VC), which covers the fetus and the newborn, aids in the growth of skin both before and after birth. VC provides 'waterproofing' in utero, allowing skin to grow in wet conditions, while after birth it hydrates and cleanses, even healing when applied to ulcers. Prof. Joke Bouwstra, a specialist in the skin barrier and its synthesis at Leiden University, and her colleague Robert Rimann set out to study VC in detail and has produced a synthetic version of this natural buttery ointment which shows the same structure and unique properties. As well as helping pre-term babies develop essential protection against temperature changes, dehydration and infection, artificial VC could also benefit sufferers of skin disease.

Like most moisturising creams, VC is mostly water. Its outstanding properties come from the addition of just 10% each of lipid molecules and dead skin cells (corneocytes), so the exact composition of the mixture is important.

For the lipids, X-ray diffraction measurements at the Dutch/Flemish DUBBLE beamline at the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) allowed the Leiden researchers to find the proportions of the various forms in the cream, even distinguishing between complex molecules differing in chain length.

The corneocytes were also studied using electron microscopy, yielding their size, shape and water content.

But equally important is how the mixture arranges itself. Lipid molecules are shaped something like lollipops, with a round end that prefers to be surrounded by water and a stick which prefers to make a raft with other lollipop sticks. VC contains several different lengths of lipids, which form d
'/>"/>

Contact: Montserrat Capellas
capellas@esrf.fr
33-476-882-663
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Gladstone scientists reveal that fat synthesizing enzyme is key to healthy skin and hair
2. Photosynthesizing bacteria with a day-night cycle contain rare chromosome
3. A natural approach for HIV vaccine
4. Understanding natural crop defenses
5. Honest crabs, power to the hungry, nice mice and clever meerkats: News from the American Naturalist
6. A natural, alternative insect repellent to DEET
7. Even natural perfumes may cause allergies
8. Ocean islands fuel productivity and carbon sequestration through natural iron fertilization
9. Natural brain substance blocks weight gain in mice, UT Southwestern researchers discover
10. As super-predators, humans reshape their prey at super-natural speeds
11. Particulate emission from natural gas burning home appliances
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Synthesizing the most natural of all skin creams
(Date:5/24/2013)... noise in one French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans ... ordinances, Annette Hurley, PhD, Assistant Professor of Audiology at ... a third-year LSUHSC doctor of audiology student, recommend that ... health. Their case study is published online in the ... ., "An important part of an audiologist,s practice is ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... A conference of 500 leading water scientists from around ... major reforms, "in the short span of one or ... on Earth will be living under the handicap of ... resource for which there is no substitute. This handicap ... , The scientists bluntly pointed to chronic underlying problems ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... to be the world,s most popular fruit, can be ... with purple GM varieties. , "Working with GM ... the addition of a specific compound, allows us to ... Professor Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre. , ... better flavour, health and shelf life characteristics because even ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Please do try this at home 2A majority on Earth face severe self-inflicted water woes within 2 generations: Scientists 2A majority on Earth face severe self-inflicted water woes within 2 generations: Scientists 3A majority on Earth face severe self-inflicted water woes within 2 generations: Scientists 4The world's favorite fruit only better-tasting and longer-lasting 2
... The American Dietetic Association welcomes a report issued Wednesday, ... school meal programs to adopt standards that increase the ... to schoolchildren. "The IOM,s positive and progressive recommendations ... American Dietetic Association has been making for a number ...
... Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Nanyang Technological University ... to strengthen Singapore,s defence science and technology research and ... intent by inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at ... governs the setting up of the Temasek Research Fellowship ...
... cancer drug will help an individual patient: only around one ... Researchers at the Heinz Nixdorf Chair for Medical Electronics at ... process for cancer drugs. With the help of microchips, they ... will react to a given drug. This chip could help ...
Cached Biology News:American Dietetic Association supports IOM recommendations on school meal programs 2American Dietetic Association supports IOM recommendations on school meal programs 3MINDEF, NTU join hands to boost Singapore's defense R&D capabilities 2Sensor biochips could aid in cancer diagnosis and treatment 2Sensor biochips could aid in cancer diagnosis and treatment 3
(Date:5/24/2013)... In a sneak preview of ... present technologies with applications in multiple and diverse ... Optics and Photonics symposium in San Diego, ... international society for optics and photonics , the ... and technology meeting in North America, with approximately ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... Many factors impact tissues targeting such as ... at the blood-tissue barrier. Even when tissue disposition is ... the tissue rather than the total tissue concentration. , ... to guide lead optimization, predict in vivo activity in ... may impact the likely human clinical dose. , In ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... day, their baby stopped breathing, his collapsed bronchus blocking ... and Bryan Gionfriddo watched helplessly, just praying that somehow ... doctors said he had a good chance of not ... now 20-month-old son, Kaiba. "At that point, we were ... and run with it." , They found hope at ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 23, 2013 Patheon Inc ., ... to the global pharmaceutical industry, will host a complimentary ... to Testing” on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 11 ... are required to comply with regulations for cleaning validation. ... limited scientific underpinning and little evaluation of risk. ...
Breaking Biology Technology:See What’s in Earth’s Future ? and Out in Space Now ? at SPIE Optics and Photonics 2See What’s in Earth’s Future ? and Out in Space Now ? at SPIE Optics and Photonics 3See What’s in Earth’s Future ? and Out in Space Now ? at SPIE Optics and Photonics 4DMPK for Targeted Tissue Delivery: Solutions for the Most Challenging Part of Outsourcing, New Life Science Webinar Hosted by Xtalks 2Baby's life saved with groundbreaking 3-D printed device that restored his breathing 2Baby's life saved with groundbreaking 3-D printed device that restored his breathing 3Patheon to Present on “Cleaning Validation: Science, Risk and Novel Approaches to Testing” 2
... (Pink Sheets: MNCN), a global health company that develops ... the agricultural and consumer markets, announced today that it ... LLC (MPC).Mach One acquired 100% of the LLC interests ... stock at a conversion price of $0.50 cents per ...
... CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, February 20, Shire plc (LSE: SHP, ... company, announced today that it has officially,opened a ... Soh Fujiwara as,Managing Director for Japanese operations. , ... Shinkujuku Ward, Tokyo, will serve as the base ...
... ImQuest Life Sciences presented important new results on ... inhibitors of HIV-1 at the 16th Conference on ... Montreal. Presentations focused on the results of IND-directed ... efficacy and formulation of IQP-0528 as a topical ...
Cached Biology Technology:Mach One Closes on Acquisition of Biopharmaceutical Design & Engineering Firm 2Shire Announces Opening of Office in Japan 2Shire Announces Opening of Office in Japan 3ImQuest Presentations at CROI Report Significant Advances in Therapeutic and Microbicide Product Development Programs 2ImQuest Presentations at CROI Report Significant Advances in Therapeutic and Microbicide Product Development Programs 3
... Chicken polyclonal to Uridine Phosphorylase 1 ... Antigen: Synthetic peptide: ... CVGAELGLDC PGRDYPNICA GTDRYAMYK, corresponding to amino acids ... Entrez Gene ID: 7378 ...
Presenilin-1, N-terminus....
Human Kallikrein 1 MAb (Clone 323803) Protein Family: Serine Proteases...
... (HSC) are well-characterized tissue-specific stem cells that ... for the life-long maintenance of the hematopoietic ... in adult bone marrow where hematopoiesis is ... found in cord blood, fetal liver, adult ...
Biology Products: