Study of skin barrier defects by lipid monolayers

Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Pharmaceutical Technology Author: Anna Nováčková Supervisor: Mgr. Barbora Školová, Ph.D. Title of thesis: Study of skin barrier defects by lipid monolayers Ceramides (Cer) together with free fatty acids and cholesterol form the intercellular space of the uppermost skin layer, the stratum corneum (SC). This lipid matrix presents the skin barrier, which protects human organism from environmental factors (endogenous substances, physical radiation) as well as prevents the body from water loss. Cer are synthetized from polar precursors: glucosylated Cer (GCer) and sphingomyelins by splitting the polar part by the hydrolytic enzymes β-glucocerebrosidase (β-GCer-ase) and sphingomyelinase. A lack of these enzymes leads to accumulation of precursors and a non-functional skin barrier is formed. The goal of this work was to study the β-GCer-ase defects by monolayer lipid models of the SC. The impact of GCer quantity on lipids organisation was evaluated by several techniques (Langmuir monolayers at the gas-liquid interface, Brewster angle microscopy and atomic force microscopy). At the gas - liquid interface mixtures with precursor do not organise spontaneously at lower surface pressures (1.5 mN/m). However, with increasing..