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Updated: Jun 28, 2025
Resolving Water, Proteins, and Lipids from In Vivo Confocal Raman Spectra of Stratum Corneum through a Chemometric Approach
Published on: September 26, 2019
Noninvasive evaluation of the skin barrier in reconstructed human epidermis using speckle analysis: Correlation with
Léa Habib1,2, Léa Abi Nassif3, Marie Abboud3
1Laboratoire d'étude cinétique en milieu hétérogène (LECH), Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint Joseph, Beirut, Lebanon.
Background:
Reconstructed epidermis models, obtained from 3D keratinocytes culture, have gained significant prominence as prototypes for safety and efficacy testing in skin research. To effectively evaluate these models, it is essential to perform molecular and functional characterization. The skin's barrier function is one of the essential aspects of the epidermis that needs to be assessed. A noninvasive method is thus required for the evaluation of the skin barrier in these models. With this perspective, the aim of this feasibility study is to apply the speckle technique for the assessment of the skin barrier in the Reconstructed Human Epidermis (RHE).
Materials And Methods:
Speckle analysis as well as Raman microspectroscopy were performed on RHE samples at two maturation days, D17 and D20.
Results:
Between D17 and D20, our study showed an increase in various Raman parameters, including stratum corneum percentage, lateral lipid packing, lipid-to-protein ratio, and protein secondary structure. Furthermore, the degree of light polarization and the speckle grain size also increased over this period.
Conclusion:
The speckle technique proved to be effective for evaluating the skin barrier in Reconstructed Human Epidermis (RHE) models. Comparison with Raman validates this approach and provides comprehensive molecular and functional characterization of reconstructive skin models.
