New insights into the stratum corneum lipid organization by X-ray diffraction analysis

The characteristic 13-nm lamellar phase that is formed by lipids in the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum (SC), is very important for the barrier function of the skin. To gain more insight into the molecular organization of this lamellar phase, we performed small-angle x-ray diffraction (SAXD) using various lipid mixtures mimicking the lipid composition in SC. In the SAXD pattern of each mixture, at least seven diffraction orders were observed, attributed to the lamellar phase with a repeat distance ranging from 12.1 to 13.8 nm. Using the sampling method based on the variation in repeat distance, we selected phase angles for the first six diffraction orders. Using these phase angles for the lamellar phase, a high-resolution electron density distribution could be calculated. Subsequently, from SAXD patterns of isolated SC, the electron density distribution of the lamellar phase was also calculated and appeared to be very similar to that in the lipid mixtures. This demonstrates that the lipid mixtures serve as an excellent model for the lipid organization in SC, not only with respect to the repeat distance, but also in terms of the electron density distribution within the unit cell.