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Stratum corneum (SC) is comprised of lipids, protein and low molecular weight water-soluble components. Changes in these skin micro constituents can be understood by instrumental methods like differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The former provides information about changes in thermotropic behavior of SC lipids and proteins, whereas the latter provides data about alterations at molecular and conformational level. Most of the DSC thermograms of intact mammalian SC show two reversible and two irreversible transitions in the temperature range of 25-125 degrees C. The reversible endotherms are ascribed to lipid melting transitions, whereas the irreversible endotherms are ascribed to protein denaturation. Similarly, the FTIR spectral bands of SC occurring between 2920-2850 cm-1 and between 1650-1550 cm-1 have been suggested to arise from lipid and protein molecular vibrations, respectively. Treatment of skin with solvents or permeation enhancers alters the composition of lipids or their molecular arrangement in the skin microenvironment, which leads to changes in permeability of drug molecules. Furthermore, inhibition of lipid synthesis in epidermis with concomitant decrease in enthalpy of lipid endothermic transitions and reduction in height and area of asymmetric and symmetric C-H stretching peaks have been found to be directly correlated with enhanced permeation of drugs. In addition, method of skin preparation, type of skin, types of enhancer etc. also influence both the nature and intensity of responses recorded in spectrographs and thermograms. Therefore, the modification in spectrographs and thermograms of skin samples treated with various enhancers, vehicles etc. are expected to provide better insight into their mechanism of action on the skin. This review article shall critically evaluate the thermotropic and infrared spectroscopic data of SC/epidermis after various treatments.

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The present investigation aimed at evaluating the role of fatty acid synthesis inhibition in enhancing transcutaneous delivery of levodopa (LD). Rat epidermis was treated with ethanol and various doses of cerulenin (an inhibitor of fatty acid synthase enzyme system) for reducing the normal level of fatty acids. Calcium chloride (0.1 mM) and/or verapamil (1 microM) were coapplied to cerulenin treated skin in order to modulate duration of epidermal perturbation. These treated skin portions were used for estimation of altered triglyceride content (an indicator of fatty acid synthesis), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, and in vitro permeation of LD. Plasma concentration of LD was monitored in rats following topical application of various transdermal formulations. Application of cerulenin (0.1 or 0.15 mM/7 cm(2)) to viable rat skin inhibited approximately 60% triglyceride synthesis with respect to control at 2 h. Coapplication of calcium chloride (0.1 mM) significantly increased this inhibition, whereas verapamil application reduced this effect. The decrease in triglyceride content reduced the enthalpy of the lipid endothermic transition. The in vitro permeation of LD was enhanced 3-fold across skin excised after treatment with cerulenin. LD did not permeate across normal skin. The effective plasma concentration (C(eff)) of LD was achieved within 3 h and maintained till 10 h by a single topical application of a carbidopa-levodopa combination (1:4) to ethanol-perturbed cerulenin-treated skin. Coapplication of calcium chloride reduced the time lag to achieve C(eff) to 2 h and maintained it till 24 h. A single transdermal LD (64 mg) patch formulated with calcium chloride (0.1 mM) and cerulenin (0.1 mM) dissolved in a propylene glycol:ethanol (7:3) mixture seems to offer a noninvasive approach for transcutaneous delivery of levodopa.

Skin perturbation with ethanol followed by application of beta-chloroalanine (beta-CA) or atorvastatin (AVN) was employed for delaying the recovery of sphingosine (a precursor of ceramide) and cholesterol, respectively in epidermis of rats. Dose optimization studies revealed 600 microg of beta-CA and 750 microg of AVN significantly (p<0.05) inhibited the synthesis of sphingosine and cholesterol, respectively and prevented their replenishment to normal levels till 48 hr in viable rat skin. Co-application of calcium chloride (0.1 mM) inhibited the synthesis of both micro constituents of epidermis to a greater magnitude, whereas verapamil reduced this effect. The in vitro permeation of levodopa across treated skin portions was directly correlated with percentage of sphingosine and cholesterol inhibited by the treatments. The in vitro permeation of levodopa across skin excised after treatment with beta-CA or AVN was enhanced 3-fold. Effective plasma concentration (1.58 microg/ml) of levodopa in rats was achieved within 2 hr and maintained till 12 hr after AVN treatment, and increased to 36 hr with the co-application of calcium chloride. However, when the skin was treated with beta-CA, Ceff was achieved after 4 hr and was maintained till 36 hr. The inclusion of calcium chloride maintained Ceff for 48 hr. Hence, synthesis inhibition of skin lipids seems to offer a feasible means to enhance the systemic delivery of polar drugs like levodopa.