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Shamaprasad P, Nădăban A, Iacovella CR, Gooris GS, Bunge AL, Bouwstra JA, McCabe C. The phase behavior of skin-barrier lipids: A combined approach of experiments and simulations. Biophys J 2024:S0006-3495(24)00477-6. [PMID: 39030908 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Skin barrier function is localized in its outermost layer, the stratum corneum (SC), which is comprised of corneocyte cells embedded in an extracellular lipid matrix containing ceramides (CERs), cholesterol (CHOL), and free fatty acids (FFAs). The unique structure and composition of this lipid matrix are important for skin barrier function. In this study, experiments and molecular dynamics simulation were combined to investigate the structural properties and phase behavior of mixtures containing nonhydroxy sphingosine CER (CER NS), CHOL, and FFA. X-ray scattering for mixtures with varying CHOL levels revealed the presence of the 5.4 nm short periodicity phase in the presence of CHOL. Bilayers in coarse-grained multilayer simulations of the same compositions contained domains with thicknesses of approximately 5.3 and 5.8 nm that are associated with elevated levels, respectively, of CER sphingosine chains with CHOL, and CER acyl chains with FFA chains. The prevalence of the thicker domain increased with decreasing CHOL content. This might correspond to a phase with ∼5.8 nm spacing observed by x-rays (other details unknown) in mixtures with lower CHOL content. Scissoring and stretching frequencies from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) also indicate interaction between FFA and CER acyl chains and little interaction between CER acyl and CER sphingosine chains, which requires CER molecules to adopt a predominantly extended conformation. In the simulated systems, neighbor preferences of extended CER chains align more closely with the FTIR observations than those of CERs with hairpin ceramide chains. Both FTIR and atomistic simulations of reverse mapped multilayer membranes detect a hexagonal to fluid phase transition between 65 and 80°C. These results demonstrate the utility of a collaborative experimental and simulation effort in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of SC lipid membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parashara Shamaprasad
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Andreea Nădăban
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Christopher R Iacovella
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Gerrit S Gooris
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Annette L Bunge
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado
| | - Joke A Bouwstra
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Clare McCabe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; School of Engineering and Physical Science, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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2
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Nădăban A, Frame CO, El Yachioui D, Gooris GS, Dalgliesh RM, Malfois M, Iacovella CR, Bunge AL, McCabe C, Bouwstra JA. The Sphingosine and Phytosphingosine Ceramide Ratio in Lipid Models Forming the Short Periodicity Phase: An Experimental and Molecular Simulation Study. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:13794-13809. [PMID: 38917358 PMCID: PMC11238587 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
The lipids located in the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum (SC), play a crucial role in maintaining the skin barrier function. The primary components of the SC lipid matrix are ceramides (CERs), cholesterol (CHOL), and free fatty acids (FFAs). They form two crystalline lamellar phases: the long periodicity phase (LPP) and the short periodicity phase (SPP). In inflammatory skin conditions like atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, there are changes in the SC CER composition, such as an increased concentration of a sphingosine-based CER (CER NS) and a reduced concentration of a phytosphingosine-based CER (CER NP). In the present study, a lipid model was created exclusively forming the SPP, to examine whether alterations in the CER NS:CER NP molar ratio would affect the lipid organization. Experimental data were combined with molecular dynamics simulations of lipid models containing CER NS:CER NP at ratios of 1:2 (mimicking a healthy SC ratio) and 2:1 (observed in inflammatory skin diseases), mixed with CHOL and lignoceric acid as the FFA. The experimental findings show that the acyl chains of CER NS and CER NP and the FFA are in close proximity within the SPP unit cell, indicating that CER NS and CER NP adopt a linear conformation, similarly as observed for the LPP. Both the experiments and simulations indicate that the lamellar organization is the same for the two CER NS:CER NP ratios while the SPP NS:NP 1:2 model had a slightly denser hydrogen bonding network than the SPP NS:NP 2:1 model. The simulations show that this might be attributed to intermolecular hydrogen bonding with the additional hydroxide group on the headgroup of CER NP compared with CER NS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Nădăban
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden 2333CC, The Netherlands
| | - Chloe O Frame
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1604, United States of America
| | - Dounia El Yachioui
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden 2333CC, The Netherlands
| | - Gerrit S Gooris
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden 2333CC, The Netherlands
| | - Robert M Dalgliesh
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Malfois
- ALBA Synchrotron, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08290 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christopher R Iacovella
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1604, United States of America
| | - Annette L Bunge
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States of America
| | - Clare McCabe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1604, United States of America
- School of Engineering and Physical Science, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
| | - Joke A Bouwstra
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden 2333CC, The Netherlands
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3
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Fernandes E, Lopes CM, Lúcio M. Lipid Biomimetic Models as Simple Yet Complex Tools to Predict Skin Permeation and Drug-Membrane Biophysical Interactions. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:807. [PMID: 38931927 PMCID: PMC11207520 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16060807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The barrier function of the skin is primarily determined by its outermost layer, the Stratum Corneum (SC). The SC consists of corneocytes embedded in a lipid matrix composed mainly of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids in equimolar proportions and is organised in a complex lamellar structure with different periodicities and lateral packings. This matrix provides a diffusion pathway across the SC for bioactive compounds that are administered to the skin. In this regard, and as the skin administration route has grown in popularity, there has been an increase in the use of lipid mixtures that closely resemble the SC lipid matrix, either for a deeper biophysical understanding or for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. This review focuses on a systematic analysis of the main outcomes of using lipid mixtures as SC lipid matrix models for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. Thus, a methodical evaluation of the main outcomes based on the SC structure is performed, as well as the main recent developments in finding suitable new in vitro tools for permeation testing based on lipid models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduarda Fernandes
- CF-UM-UP—Centro de Física das Universidades do Minho e Porto, Departamento de Física, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Carla M. Lopes
- FFP-I3ID—Instituto de Investigação, Inovação e Desenvolvimento, FP-BHS—Biomedical and Health Sciences Research Unit, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, 4200–150 Porto, Portugal;
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, MedTech–Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Marlene Lúcio
- CF-UM-UP—Centro de Física das Universidades do Minho e Porto, Departamento de Física, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- CBMA—Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
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4
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Dwivedi A, Mazumder A, Pullmannová P, Paraskevopoulou A, Opálka L, Kováčik A, Macháček M, Jančálková P, Svačinová P, Peterlik H, Maixner J, Vávrová K. Lipid Monolayer on Cell Surface Protein Templates Functional Extracellular Lipid Assembly. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2307793. [PMID: 38243890 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202307793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
When the ancestors of men moved from aquatic habitats to the drylands, their evolutionary strategy to restrict water loss is to seal the skin surface with lipids. It is unknown how these rigid ceramide-dominated lipids with densely packed chains squeeze through narrow extracellular spaces and how they assemble into their complex multilamellar architecture. Here it is shown that the human corneocyte lipid envelope, a monolayer of ultralong covalently bound lipids on the cell surface protein, templates the functional barrier assembly by partly fluidizing and rearranging the free extracellular lipids in its vicinity during the sculpting of a functional skin lipid barrier. The lipid envelope also maintains the fluidity of the extracellular lipids during mechanical stress. This local lipid fluidization does not compromise the permeability barrier. The results provide new testable hypotheses about epidermal homeostasis and the pathophysiology underlying diseases with impaired lipid binding to corneocytes, such as congenital ichthyosis. In a broader sense, this lipoprotein-mediated fluidization of rigid (sphingo)lipid patches may also be relevant to lipid rafts and cellular signaling events and inspire new functional materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupma Dwivedi
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Anisha Mazumder
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Pullmannová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Paraskevopoulou
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Opálka
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Andrej Kováčik
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Miloslav Macháček
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Pavla Jančálková
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Svačinová
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
| | - Herwig Peterlik
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Jaroslav Maixner
- Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, Prague, 16628, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Heyrovského 1203, Hradec Králové, 50005, Czech Republic
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5
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Yang C, Wang LY, Li YK, Lin JT, Chen DK, Yao N. Arabidopsis Leaf Chloroplasts Have a Specific Sphingolipidome. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:299. [PMID: 38276756 PMCID: PMC10818918 DOI: 10.3390/plants13020299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Sphingolipids are ubiquitous in eukaryotes and certain prokaryotes, where they serve as vital components of biological membranes and bioactive molecules. Chloroplasts have complex membrane structures that play crucial roles in photosynthesis, but their specific sphingolipidome remains unreported. In this study, we used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to analyze the sphingolipidome of purified Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts. We detected 92 chloroplast sphingolipids. The chloroplast sphingolipidome differed from total leaf (TL) samples, with a higher content of free long-chain bases and hydroxyceramides and a greater proportion of complex sphingolipids with 16C fatty acid (FA) forms. Notably, chloroplast glucosylceramides were predominantly the d18:1 h16:0 and t18:1 h16:0 forms rather than the 24C FA form found in TL and other cellular structures. Comparing the sphingolipidomes of different cellular structures underscores the inhomogeneity of the intracellular distribution of sphingolipids. This provides a robust reference for further elucidating the function of sphingolipids in plant cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Nan Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; (C.Y.); (L.-Y.W.); (J.-T.L.); (D.-K.C.)
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6
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Bouwstra JA, Nădăban A, Bras W, McCabe C, Bunge A, Gooris GS. The skin barrier: An extraordinary interface with an exceptional lipid organization. Prog Lipid Res 2023; 92:101252. [PMID: 37666282 PMCID: PMC10841493 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2023.101252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
The barrier function of the skin is primarily located in the stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of the skin. The SC is composed of dead cells with highly organized lipid lamellae in the intercellular space. As the lipid matrix forms the only continuous pathway, the lipids play an important role in the permeation of compounds through the SC. The main lipid classes are ceramides (CERs), cholesterol (CHOL) and free fatty acids (FFAs). Analysis of the SC lipid matrix is of crucial importance in understanding the skin barrier function, not only in healthy skin, but also in inflammatory skin diseases with an impaired skin barrier. In this review we provide i) a historical overview of the steps undertaken to obtain information on the lipid composition and organization in SC of healthy skin and inflammatory skin diseases, ii) information on the role CERs, CHOL and FFAs play in the lipid phase behavior of very complex lipid model systems and how this knowledge can be used to understand the deviation in lipid phase behavior in inflammatory skin diseases, iii) knowledge on the role of both, CER subclasses and chain length distribution, on lipid organization and lipid membrane permeability in complex and simple model systems with synthetic CERs, CHOL and FFAs, iv) similarity in lipid phase behavior in SC of different species and complex model systems, and vi) future directions in modulating lipid composition that is expected to improve the skin barrier in inflammatory skin diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joke A Bouwstra
- Division of Biotherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Andreea Nădăban
- Division of Biotherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wim Bras
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America
| | - Clare McCabe
- School of Engineering & Physical Science, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Annette Bunge
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America
| | - Gerrit S Gooris
- Division of Biotherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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7
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Pullmannová P, Čuříková-Kindlová BA, Ondrejčeková V, Kováčik A, Dvořáková K, Dulanská L, Georgii R, Majcher A, Maixner J, Kučerka N, Zbytovská J, Vávrová K. Polymorphism, Nanostructures, and Barrier Properties of Ceramide-Based Lipid Films. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:422-435. [PMID: 36643519 PMCID: PMC9835644 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ceramides belong to sphingolipids, an important group of cellular and extracellular lipids. Their physiological functions range from cell signaling to participation in the formation of barriers against water evaporation. In the skin, they are essential for the permeability barrier, together with free fatty acids and cholesterol. We examined the periodical structure and permeability of lipid films composed of ceramides (Cer; namely, N-lignoceroyl 6-hydroxysphingosine, CerNH24, and N-lignoceroyl sphingosine, CerNS24), lignoceric acid (LIG; 24:0), and cholesterol (Chol). X-ray diffraction experiments showed that the CerNH24-based samples form either a short lamellar phase (SLP, d ∼ 5.4 nm) or a medium lamellar phase (MLP, d = 10.63-10.78 nm) depending on the annealing conditions. The proposed molecular arrangement of the MLP based on extended Cer molecules also agreed with the relative neutron scattering length density profiles obtained from the neutron diffraction data. The presence of MLP increased the lipid film permeability to the lipophilic model permeant (indomethacin) relative to the CerNS24-based control samples and the samples that had the same lipid composition but formed an SLP. Thus, the arrangement of lipids in various nanostructures is responsive to external conditions during sample preparation. This polymorphic behavior directly affects the barrier properties, which could also be (patho)physiologically relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Pullmannová
- Skin
Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Barbora A. Čuříková-Kindlová
- Faculty
of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry
and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Ondrejčeková
- Skin
Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Andrej Kováčik
- Skin
Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Kristýna Dvořáková
- Faculty
of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry
and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lucia Dulanská
- Skin
Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Georgii
- Heinz
Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische
Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748Garching, Germany
| | - Adam Majcher
- Skin
Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Maixner
- Faculty
of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry
and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Norbert Kučerka
- Faculty
of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 832 32Bratislava, Slovakia
- Frank
Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute
for Nuclear Research, Joliot-Curie 6, 141980Dubna, Russia
| | - Jarmila Zbytovská
- Skin
Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
- Faculty
of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry
and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin
Barrier Research Group, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Heyrovského 1203, 500 05Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
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8
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González-Ramírez EJ, Etxaniz A, Alonso A, Goñi FM. Phase behaviour of C18-N-acyl sphingolipids, the prevalent species in human brain. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2022; 219:112855. [PMID: 36137336 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2022.112855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Lipidomic analysis of the N-acyl components of sphingolipids in different mammalian tissues had revealed that brain tissue differed from all the other samples in that SM contained mainly C18:0 and C24:1N-acyl chains, and that the most abundant Cer species was C18:0. Only in the nervous system was C18:0 found in sizable proportions. The high levels of C18:0 and C16:0, respectively in brain and non-brain SM, were important because SM is by far the most abundant sphingolipid in the plasma membrane. In view of these observations, the present paper is devoted to a comparative study of the properties of C16:0 and C18:0 sphingolipids (SM and Cer) pure and in mixtures of increasing complexities, using differential scanning calorimetry, confocal microscopy of giant unilamellar vesicles, and correlative fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy of supported lipid bilayers. Membrane rigidity was measured by force spectroscopy. It was found that in mixtures containing dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and cholesterol, i.e. representing the lipids predominant in the outer monolayer of cell membranes, lateral inhomogeneities occurred, with the formation of rigid domains within a continuous fluid phase. Inclusion of saturated Cer in the system was always found to increase the rigidity of the segregated domains. C18:0-based sphingolipids exhibit hydrocarbon chain-length asymmetry, and some singularities observed with this N-acyl chain, e.g. complex calorimetric endotherms, could be attributed to this property. Moreover, C18:0-based sphingolipids, that are typical of the excitable cells, were less miscible with the fluid phase than their C16:0 counterparts. The results could be interpreted as suggesting that the predominance of C18:0 Cer in the nervous system would contribute to the tightness of its plasma membranes, thus facilitating maintenance of the ion gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio J González-Ramírez
- Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU) and Department of Biochemistry, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Asier Etxaniz
- Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU) and Department of Biochemistry, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Alicia Alonso
- Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU) and Department of Biochemistry, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain.
| | - Félix M Goñi
- Instituto Biofisika (CSIC, UPV/EHU) and Department of Biochemistry, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
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9
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Shamaprasad P, Frame CO, Moore TC, Yang A, Iacovella CR, Bouwstra JA, Bunge AL, McCabe C. Using molecular simulation to understand the skin barrier. Prog Lipid Res 2022; 88:101184. [PMID: 35988796 PMCID: PMC10116345 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2022.101184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Skin's effectiveness as a barrier to permeation of water and other chemicals rests almost entirely in the outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum (SC), which consists of layers of corneocytes surrounded by highly organized lipid lamellae. As the only continuous path through the SC, transdermal permeation necessarily involves diffusion through these lipid layers. The role of the SC as a protective barrier is supported by its exceptional lipid composition consisting of ceramides (CERs), cholesterol (CHOL), and free fatty acids (FFAs) and the complete absence of phospholipids, which are present in most biological membranes. Molecular simulation, which provides molecular level detail of lipid configurations that can be connected with barrier function, has become a popular tool for studying SC lipid systems. We review this ever-increasing body of literature with the goals of (1) enabling the experimental skin community to understand, interpret and use the information generated from the simulations, (2) providing simulation experts with a solid background in the chemistry of SC lipids including the composition, structure and organization, and barrier function, and (3) presenting a state of the art picture of the field of SC lipid simulations, highlighting the difficulties and best practices for studying these systems, to encourage the generation of robust reproducible studies in the future. This review describes molecular simulation methodology and then critically examines results derived from simulations using atomistic and then coarse-grained models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parashara Shamaprasad
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America; Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America
| | - Chloe O Frame
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America; Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America
| | - Timothy C Moore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America; Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America
| | - Alexander Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America; Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America
| | - Christopher R Iacovella
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America; Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America
| | - Joke A Bouwstra
- Division of BioTherapeutics, LACDR, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Annette L Bunge
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America
| | - Clare McCabe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America; Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1604, United States of America; School of Engineering and Physical Science, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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10
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Shamaprasad P, Moore TC, Xia D, Iacovella CR, Bunge AL, McCabe C. Multiscale Simulation of Ternary Stratum Corneum Lipid Mixtures: Effects of Cholesterol Composition. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:7496-7511. [PMID: 35671175 PMCID: PMC9309713 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of the ceramide nonhydroxy-sphingosine (NS), cholesterol, and a free fatty acid are performed to gain molecular-level understanding of the structure of the lipids found in the stratum corneum layer of skin. A new coarse-grained force field for cholesterol was developed using the multistate iterative Boltzmann inversion (MS-IBI) method. The coarse-grained cholesterol force field is compatible with previously developed coarse-grained force fields for ceramide NS, free fatty acids, and water and validated against atomistic simulations of these lipids using the CHARMM force field. Self-assembly simulations of multilayer structures using these coarse-grained force fields are performed, revealing that a large fraction of the ceramides adopt extended conformations, which cannot occur in the single bilayer in water structures typically studied using molecular simulation. Cholesterol fluidizes the membrane by promoting packing defects, and an increase in cholesterol content is found to reduce the bilayer thickness due to an increase in interdigitation of the C24 lipid tails, consistent with experimental observations. Using a reverse-mapping procedure, a self-assembled coarse-grained multilayer system is used to construct an equivalent structure with atomistic resolution. Simulations of this atomistic structure are found to closely agree with experimentally derived neutron scattering length density profiles. Significant interlayer hydrogen bonding is observed in the inner layers of the atomistic multilayer structure that are not found in the outer layers in contact with water or in equivalent bilayer structures. This work highlights the importance of simulating multilayer structures, as compared to the more commonly studied bilayer systems, to enable more appropriate comparisons with multilayer experimental membranes. These results also provide validation of the efficacy of the MS-IBI derived coarse-grained force fields and the framework for multiscale simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parashara Shamaprasad
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
- Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
| | - Timothy C. Moore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
- Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
| | - Donna Xia
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
- Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
| | - Christopher R. Iacovella
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
- Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
| | - Annette L. Bunge
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA, 80401
| | - Clare McCabe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
- Multiscale Modeling and Simulation (MuMS) Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37235-1604
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11
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Beddoes CM, Gooris GS, Barlow DJ, Lawrence MJ, Dalgliesh RM, Malfois M, Demé B, Bouwstra JA. The importance of ceramide headgroup for lipid localisation in skin lipid models. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2022; 1864:183886. [PMID: 35143742 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2022.183886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The stratum corneum's lipid matrix is a critical for the skin's barrier function and is primarily composed of ceramides (CERs), cholesterol (CHOL) and free fatty acids (FFAs). The lipids form a long periodicity phase (LPP), a unique trilayer unit cell structure. An enzyme driven pathway is implemented to synthesize these key lipids. If these enzymes are down- or upregulated as in inflammatory diseases, the final lipid composition is affected often altering the barrier function. In this study, we mimicked down regulation of enzymes involved in the synthesis of the sphingosine and CER amide bond. In a LPP lipid model, we substituted CER N-(tetracosanoyl)-sphingosine (CER NS) with either i) FFA C24 and free sphingosine, to simulate the loss of the CER amide bond, or ii) with FFA C24 and C18 to simulate the loss of the sphingosine headgroup. Our study shows the lipids in the LPP would not phase separate until at least 25% of the CER NS is substituted keeping the lateral packing and conformational ordering unaltered. Neutron diffraction studies showed that free sphingosine chains localized at the outer layers of the unit cell, while the remaining CER NS head group was concentrated in the inner headgroup layers. However, when FFA C18 was inserted, CER NS was dispersed throughout the LPP, resulting in an even distribution between the inner and outer water layers. The presented results highlight the importance of the CER NS headgroup structure and its interaction in combination with the carbon chain invariability for optimal lipid arrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte M Beddoes
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, University of Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Gert S Gooris
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, University of Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - David J Barlow
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Manchester University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - M Jayne Lawrence
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Manchester University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Robert M Dalgliesh
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Malfois
- ALBA Synchrotron, Carrer de la Llum 2-6, 08290 Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bruno Demé
- Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France
| | - Joke A Bouwstra
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, University of Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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12
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Opálka L, Meyer JM, Ondrejčeková V, Svatošová L, Radner FPW, Vávrová K. ω-O-Acylceramides but not ω-hydroxy ceramides are required for healthy lamellar phase architecture of skin barrier lipids. J Lipid Res 2022; 63:100226. [PMID: 35568253 PMCID: PMC9192818 DOI: 10.1016/j.jlr.2022.100226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidermal omega-O-acylceramides (ω-O-acylCers) are essential components of a competent skin barrier. These unusual sphingolipids with ultralong N-acyl chains contain linoleic acid esterified to the terminal hydroxyl of the N-acyl, the formation of which requires the transacylase activity of patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 1 (PNPLA1). In ichthyosis with dysfunctional PNPLA1, ω-O-acylCer levels are significantly decreased, and ω-hydroxylated Cers (ω-OHCers) accumulate. Here we explore the role of the linoleate moiety in ω-O-acylCers in the assembly of the skin lipid barrier. Ultrastructural studies of skin samples from neonatal Pnpla1+/+ and Pnpla1-/- mice showed that the linoleate moiety in ω-O-acylCers is essential for lamellar pairing in lamellar bodies, as well as for stratum corneum lipid assembly into the long periodicity lamellar phase (LPP). To further study the molecular details of ω-O-acylCer deficiency on skin barrier lipid assembly, we built in vitro lipid models composed of major stratum corneum lipid subclasses containing either ω-O-acylCer (healthy skin model), ω-OHCer (Pnpla1-/- model), or combination of the two. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and permeability studies indicated that ω-OHCers could not substitute for ω-O-acylCers, although in favorable conditions, they form a medium lamellar phase with a 10.8 nm-repeat distance and permeability barrier properties similar to LPP. In the absence of ω-O-acylCers, skin lipids were prone to separation into two phases with diminished barrier properties. The models combining ω-OHCers with ω-O-acylCers indicated that accumulation of ω-OHCers does not prevent ω-O-acylCer-driven lamellar stacking. These data suggest that ω-O-acylCer supplementation may be a viable therapeutic option in patients with PNPLA1 deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukáš Opálka
- Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Jason M Meyer
- Department of Dermatology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Veronika Ondrejčeková
- Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Linda Svatošová
- Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Franz P W Radner
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
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13
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Cholesterol Sulfate Fluidizes the Sterol Fraction of the Stratum Corneum Lipid Phase and Increases its Permeability. J Lipid Res 2022; 63:100177. [PMID: 35143845 PMCID: PMC8953687 DOI: 10.1016/j.jlr.2022.100177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Desulfation of cholesterol sulfate (CholS) to cholesterol (Chol) is an important event in epidermal homeostasis and necessary for stratum corneum (SC) barrier function. The CholS/Chol ratio decreases during SC maturation but remains high in pathological conditions, such as X-linked ichthyosis, characterized by dry and scaly skin. The aim of this study was to characterize the influence of the CholS/Chol molar ratio on the structure, dynamics, and permeability of SC lipid model mixtures. We synthesized deuterated CholS and investigated lipid models with specifically deuterated components using 2H solid-state NMR spectroscopy at temperatures from 25°C to 80°C. Although the rigid acyl chains in ceramides and fatty acids remained essentially rigid upon variation of the CholS/Chol ratio, both sterols were increasingly fluidized in lipid models containing higher CholS concentrations. We also show the X-ray repeat distance of the lipid lamellar phase (105 Å) and the orthorhombic chain packing of the ceramide’s acyl chains and long free fatty acids did not change upon the variation of the CholS content. However, the Chol phase separation visible in models with high Chol concentration disappeared at the 50:50 CholS/Chol ratio. This increased fluidity resulted in higher permeabilities to model markers of these SC models. These results reveal that a high CholS/Chol ratio fluidizes the sterol fraction and increases the permeability of the SC lipid phase while maintaining the lamellar lipid arrangement with an asymmetric sterol distribution.
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14
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Robida PA, Chumanevich AP, Gandy AO, Fuseler JW, Nagarkatti P, Nagarkatti M, Oskeritzian CA. Skin Mast Cell-Driven Ceramides Drive Early Apoptosis in Pre-Symptomatic Eczema in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:7851. [PMID: 34360617 PMCID: PMC8346072 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22157851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD or eczema) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disorder worldwide. Ceramides (Cer) maintain skin barrier functions, which are disrupted in lesional skin of AD patients. However, Cer status during the pre-lesional phase of AD is not well defined. Using a variation of human AD-like preclinical model consisting of a 7-day topical exposure to ovalbumin (OVA), or control, we observed elevation of Cer C16 and C24. Skin mRNA quantification of enzymes involved in Cer metabolism [Cer synthases (CerS) and ceramidases (Asah1/Asah2)], which revealed augmented CerS 4, 5 and 6 and Asah1. Given the overall pro-apoptotic nature of Cer, local apoptosis was assessed, then quantified using novel morphometric measurements of cleaved caspase (Casp)-3-restricted immunofluorescence signal in skin samples. Apoptosis was induced in response to OVA. Because apoptosis may occur downstream of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, we measured markers of ER stress-induced apoptosis and found elevated skin-associated CHOP protein upon OVA treatment. We previously substantiated the importance of mast cells (MC) in initiating early skin inflammation. OVA-induced Cer increase and local apoptosis were prevented in MC-deficient mice; however, they were restored following MC reconstitution. We propose that the MC/Cer axis is an essential pathogenic feature of pre-lesional AD, whose targeting may prevent disease development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Carole A. Oskeritzian
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC 29209, USA; (P.A.R.); (A.P.C.); (A.O.G.); (J.W.F.); (P.N.); (M.N.)
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15
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Kováčik A, Pullmannová P, Opálka L, Šilarová M, Maixner J, Vávrová K. Effects of ( R)- and ( S)-α-Hydroxylation of Acyl Chains in Sphingosine, Dihydrosphingosine, and Phytosphingosine Ceramides on Phase Behavior and Permeability of Skin Lipid Models. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22147468. [PMID: 34299088 PMCID: PMC8303283 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ceramides (Cers) with α-hydroxylated acyl chains comprise about a third of all extractable skin Cers and are required for permeability barrier homeostasis. We have probed here the effects of Cer hydroxylation on their behavior in lipid models comprising the major SC lipids, Cer/free fatty acids (C 16-C 24)/cholesterol, and a minor component, cholesteryl sulfate. Namely, Cers with (R)-α-hydroxy lignoceroyl chains attached to sphingosine (Cer AS), dihydrosphingosine (Cer AdS), and phytosphingosine (Cer AP) were compared to their unnatural (S)-diastereomers and to Cers with non-hydroxylated lignoceroyl chains attached to sphingosine (Cer NS), dihydrosphingosine (Cer NdS), and phytosphingosine (Cer NP). By comparing several biophysical parameters (lamellar organization by X-ray diffraction, chain order, lateral packing, phase transitions, and lipid mixing by infrared spectroscopy using deuterated lipids) and the permeabilities of these models (water loss and two permeability markers), we conclude that there is no general or common consequence of Cer α-hydroxylation. Instead, we found a rich mix of effects, highly dependent on the sphingoid base chain, configuration at the α-carbon, and permeability marker used. We found that the model membranes with unnatural Cer (S)-AS have fewer orthorhombically packed lipid chains than those based on the (R)-diastereomer. In addition, physiological (R)-configuration decreases the permeability of membranes, with Cer (R)-AdS to theophylline, and increases the lipid chain order in model systems with natural Cer (R)-AP. Thus, each Cer subclass makes a distinct contribution to the structural organization and function of the skin lipid barrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrej Kováčik
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; (P.P.); (L.O.); (M.Š.); (K.V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +420-495-067-340
| | - Petra Pullmannová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; (P.P.); (L.O.); (M.Š.); (K.V.)
| | - Lukáš Opálka
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; (P.P.); (L.O.); (M.Š.); (K.V.)
| | - Michaela Šilarová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; (P.P.); (L.O.); (M.Š.); (K.V.)
| | - Jaroslav Maixner
- Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; (P.P.); (L.O.); (M.Š.); (K.V.)
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16
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Nováčková A, Sagrafena I, Pullmannová P, Paraskevopoulos G, Dwivedi A, Mazumder A, Růžičková K, Slepička P, Zbytovská J, Vávrová K. Acidic pH Is Required for the Multilamellar Assembly of Skin Barrier Lipids In Vitro. J Invest Dermatol 2021; 141:1915-1921.e4. [PMID: 33675786 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2021.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Lipid membrane remodeling belongs to the most fundamental processes in the body. The skin barrier lipids, which are ceramide dominant and highly rigid, must attain an unusual multilamellar nanostructure with long periodicity to restrict water loss and prevent the entry of potentially harmful environmental factors. Our data suggest that the skin acid mantle, apart from regulating enzyme activities and keeping away pathogens, may also be a prerequisite for the multilamellar assembly of the skin barrier lipids. Atomic force microscopy on monolayers composed of synthetic or human stratum corneum lipids showed multilayer formation (approximately 10-nm step height) in an acidic but not in a neutral environment. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and permeability studies showed markedly altered lipid nanostructure and increased water loss at neutral pH compared with that at acidic pH. These findings are consistent with the data on the altered organization of skin lipids and increased transepidermal water loss under conditions such as inadequate skin acidification, for example, in neonates, the elderly, and patients with atopic dermatitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nováčková
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Irene Sagrafena
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Pullmannová
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | | | - Anupma Dwivedi
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Anisha Mazumder
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Karolína Růžičková
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Slepička
- Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jarmila Zbytovská
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
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17
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Ohnari H, Naru E, Ogura T, Sakata O, Obata Y. Phase Separation in Lipid Lamellae Result from Ceramide Conformations and Lateral Packing Structure. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2021; 69:72-80. [PMID: 33390523 DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c20-00588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Intercellular lipids in the stratum corneum protect the living body from invasion by allergens and pathogens, and also suppresses water evaporation within the body. It is important to understand how differences in the microstructure of intercellular lipids arise. This microstructure is affected by lipid composition. Studies using intercellular lipid models have reported the formation of two phases with different short lamellar periodicities. However, the details of the packing structure characteristics of the two phases observed in these intercellular lipid models are unclear. Our previous report revealed that different short periodicity phases coexist in the N-(α-hydroxyoctadecanoyl)-dihydrosphingosine (CER[ADS]), cholesterol (CHOL), and palmitic acid (PA) complex model. In this study, the characteristics of the packing structure of two phases with different short lamellar periodicities, which were observed in the intercellular lipid model (CER[ADS]/CHOL/PA) that we used previously, were adjusted for models with different lipid compositions. The characteristics of the packed and lamellar structures have been determined by temperature-scanning small-angle X-ray scattering and wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurements simultaneously. These differences in lamellar structure were thought to be caused by differences in ceramides (CER) conformation between the hairpin and the V-shape type. The lamellar structure of the V-shaped CER conformation has a low orthorhombic ratio. The above results suggest that an increase in the ratio of CER with the V-shaped structure causes the lamellar structure to have low orthorhombic ratio, thereby contributing to a decrease in the bilayer's barrier function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eiji Naru
- Research and Development Division, KOSE Corporation
| | - Taku Ogura
- Research Institute for Science & Technology, Tokyo University of Science
| | - Osamu Sakata
- Research and Development Division, KOSE Corporation
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18
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Ramos AP, Bouwstra JA, Lafleur M. Very Long Chain Lipids Favor the Formation of a Homogeneous Phase in Stratum Corneum Model Membranes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:13899-13907. [PMID: 33170015 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of mammal epidermis, acts as a barrier dictating the rate of absorption of exogenous molecules through the skin, as well as to prevent excessive water loss from the body. The SC consists of protein-rich corneocytes embedded into a complex lipid mixture. The lipid fraction is mainly constituted of an equimolar mixture of ceramides (Cer), free fatty acids (FFA), and cholesterol (Chol), forming a solid phase in the intracellular space; this lipid phase is supposed to play a fundamental role in the SC barrier function. An unusual characteristic of this biological membrane is that its lipids generally bear very long acyl chains, with the 24-carbon long ones being the most abundant. In this work, we used Raman microspectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy to study the influence of the acyl chain length on the lipid mixing properties in SC model membranes. Our results revealed that the combination of ceramides and FFA bearing a very long chain is required for the formation of homogeneous lipid mixtures, while lipids with shorter chains (16-carbon and 20-carbon atom long) lead to domains with micrometer dimensions. It is proposed that the biological machinery necessary for acyl chain elongation occurring at the mammalian skin level is required to inhibit lipid phase separation, a critical feature in the proper barrier functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Paz Ramos
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Joke A Bouwstra
- Drug Delivery Technology, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden 2333 CC, The Netherlands
| | - Michel Lafleur
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal QC H3C 3J7, Canada
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19
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Engberg O, Kováčik A, Pullmannová P, Juhaščik M, Opálka L, Huster D, Vávrová K. The Sphingosine and Acyl Chains of Ceramide [NS] Show Very Different Structure and Dynamics That Challenge Our Understanding of the Skin Barrier. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:17383-17387. [PMID: 32515145 PMCID: PMC7540555 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202003375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The lipid phase of the uppermost human skin layer is thought to comprise highly rigid lipids in an orthorhombic phase state to protect the body against the environment. By synthesizing sphingosine-d28 deuterated N-lignoceroyl-d-erythro-sphingosine (ceramide [NS]), we compare the structure and dynamics of both chains of that lipid in biologically relevant mixtures using X-ray diffraction, 2 H NMR analysis, and infrared spectroscopy. Our results reveal a substantial fraction of sphingosine chains in a fluid and dynamic phase state at physiological temperature. These findings prompt revision of our current understanding of the skin lipid barrier, where an extended ceramide [NS] conformation is preferred and a possible domain structure is proposed. Mobile lipid chains may be crucial for skin elasticity and the translocation of physiologically important molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oskar Engberg
- Institute of Medical Physics and BiophysicsUniversity of LeipzigHärtelstr. 16–1804275LeipzigGermany
| | - Andrej Kováčik
- Skin Barrier Research GroupFaculty of Pharmacy in Hradec KrálovéCharles UniversityAkademika Heyrovského 120350005Hradec KrálovéCzech Republic
| | - Petra Pullmannová
- Skin Barrier Research GroupFaculty of Pharmacy in Hradec KrálovéCharles UniversityAkademika Heyrovského 120350005Hradec KrálovéCzech Republic
| | - Martin Juhaščik
- Skin Barrier Research GroupFaculty of Pharmacy in Hradec KrálovéCharles UniversityAkademika Heyrovského 120350005Hradec KrálovéCzech Republic
| | - Lukáš Opálka
- Skin Barrier Research GroupFaculty of Pharmacy in Hradec KrálovéCharles UniversityAkademika Heyrovského 120350005Hradec KrálovéCzech Republic
| | - Daniel Huster
- Institute of Medical Physics and BiophysicsUniversity of LeipzigHärtelstr. 16–1804275LeipzigGermany
- Department of Chemical ScienceTata Institute of Fundamental ResearchDr. Homi Bhabha Road, ColabaMumbai400 005India
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin Barrier Research GroupFaculty of Pharmacy in Hradec KrálovéCharles UniversityAkademika Heyrovského 120350005Hradec KrálovéCzech Republic
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20
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Engberg O, Kováčik A, Pullmannová P, Juhaščik M, Opálka L, Huster D, Vávrová K. Die unterschiedliche Struktur und Dynamik der Sphingosin‐ und Acylketten von Ceramid [NS] verändern unser Verständnis der Struktur der Hautbarriere. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202003375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Oskar Engberg
- Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik Universität Leipzig Härtelstraße 16–18 04275 Leipzig Deutschland
| | - Andrej Kováčik
- Skin Barrier Research Group Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Charles University Akademika Heyrovského 1203 50005 Hradec Králové Czech Republi
| | - Petra Pullmannová
- Skin Barrier Research Group Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Charles University Akademika Heyrovského 1203 50005 Hradec Králové Czech Republi
| | - Martin Juhaščik
- Skin Barrier Research Group Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Charles University Akademika Heyrovského 1203 50005 Hradec Králové Czech Republi
| | - Lukáš Opálka
- Skin Barrier Research Group Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Charles University Akademika Heyrovského 1203 50005 Hradec Králové Czech Republi
| | - Daniel Huster
- Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik Universität Leipzig Härtelstraße 16–18 04275 Leipzig Deutschland
- Department of Chemical Science Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba Mumbai 400 005 Indien
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin Barrier Research Group Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Charles University Akademika Heyrovského 1203 50005 Hradec Králové Czech Republi
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21
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Beddoes C, Gooris GS, Foglia F, Ahmadi D, Barlow DJ, Lawrence MJ, Demé B, Bouwstra JA. Arrangement of Ceramides in the Skin: Sphingosine Chains Localize at a Single Position in Stratum Corneum Lipid Matrix Models. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:10270-10278. [PMID: 32816488 PMCID: PMC7498151 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c01992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the structure of the stratum corneum (SC) is essential to understand the skin barrier process. The long periodicity phase (LPP) is a unique trilayer lamellar structure located in the SC. Adjustments in the composition of the lipid matrix, as in many skin abnormalities, can have severe effects on the lipid organization and barrier function. Although the location of individual lipid subclasses has been identified, the lipid conformation at these locations remains uncertain. Contrast variation experiments via small-angle neutron diffraction were used to investigate the conformation of ceramide (CER) N-(tetracosanoyl)-sphingosine (NS) within both simplistic and porcine mimicking LPP models. To identify the lipid conformation of the twin chain CER NS, the chains were individually deuterated, and their scattering length profiles were calculated to identify their locations in the LPP unit cell. In the repeating trilayer unit of the LPP, the acyl chain of CER NS was located in the central and outer layers, while the sphingosine chain was located exclusively in the middle of the outer layers. Thus, for the CER NS with the acyl chain in the central layer, this demonstrates an extended conformation. Electron density distribution profiles identified that the lipid structure remains consistent regardless of the lipid's lateral packing phase, this may be partially due to the anchoring of the extended CER NS. The presented results provide a more detailed insight on the internal arrangement of the LPP lipids and how they are expected to be arranged in healthy skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte
M. Beddoes
- Division
of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, University of Leiden, Einsteinweg 55, Leiden 2333 CC, The Netherlands
| | - Gert S. Gooris
- Division
of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, University of Leiden, Einsteinweg 55, Leiden 2333 CC, The Netherlands
| | - Fabrizia Foglia
- Chemistry
Department, Christopher Ingold Laboratories, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Delaram Ahmadi
- Pharmaceutical
Science Division, King’s College
London, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
| | - David J. Barlow
- Pharmaceutical
Science Division, King’s College
London, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
| | - M. Jayne Lawrence
- Division
of Pharmacy and Optometry, Manchester University, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Bruno Demé
- Institute
Laue-Langevin, Grenoble 38000, France
| | - Joke A. Bouwstra
- Division
of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, University of Leiden, Einsteinweg 55, Leiden 2333 CC, The Netherlands
- . Tel: 00 31 71 527 4208. Fax: 00 31 71 527 4565
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22
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Schmitt T, Neubert RHH. State of the Art in Stratum Corneum Research. Part II: Hypothetical Stratum Corneum Lipid Matrix Models. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2020; 33:213-230. [PMID: 32683377 DOI: 10.1159/000509019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
This review is the second part of a series which presents the state of the art in stratum corneum (SC) lipid matrix (LM) research in depth. In this part, the various hypothetical models which were developed to describe the structure and function of the SC LM as the skin's barrier will be discussed. New as well as a cumulative assortment of older results which change the view on the different models are considered to conclude how well the different models are holding up today. As a final conclusion, a model, factoring in as much of the known data as possible, is concluded, unifying the varying different models into one which can be developed further, as new results are found in the future. So far, the model is described with a single crystalline or gel-like phase with a certain amount of nanocrystallites of concentrated ceramides (CERs) and free fatty acids and more fluid nanodomains caused by a fluidizing effect of the cholesterol. These domains are dynamically resolved and reformed and do not impair the barrier function. The chain conformation is not completely clear yet; however, an equilibrium of fully extended and hairpin-folded CERs with ratios depending on the properties of each individual CER species is proposed as most likely. An overlapping middle layer as described for the tri-layer model in part I of this series would be present for both conformations. The macroscopic broad-narrow-broad layering, observed in electron micrographs, is explained by an external templating by the lipid envelope, and an internal templating by short and long lipid chains each preferentially show a homophilic association, forming thicker and thinner bilayers, respectively. The degree of influence of the very long ω-hydroxy-CERs is discussed as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Schmitt
- Department I, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Reinhard H H Neubert
- Institute of Applied Dermatopharmacy at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (IADP), Halle/Saale, Germany, .,Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany,
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23
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Martinotti C, Ruiz-Perez L, Deplazes E, Mancera RL. Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Small Molecules Interacting with Biological Membranes. Chemphyschem 2020; 21:1486-1514. [PMID: 32452115 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202000219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cell membranes protect and compartmentalise cells and their organelles. The semi-permeable nature of these membranes controls the exchange of solutes across their structure. Characterising the interaction of small molecules with biological membranes is critical to understanding of physiological processes, drug action and permeation, and many biotechnological applications. This review provides an overview of how molecular simulations are used to study the interaction of small molecules with biological membranes, with a particular focus on the interactions of water, organic compounds, drugs and short peptides with models of plasma cell membrane and stratum corneum lipid bilayers. This review will not delve on other types of membranes which might have different composition and arrangement, such as thylakoid or mitochondrial membranes. The application of unbiased molecular dynamics simulations and enhanced sampling methods such as umbrella sampling, metadynamics and replica exchange are described using key examples. This review demonstrates how state-of-the-art molecular simulations have been used successfully to describe the mechanism of binding and permeation of small molecules with biological membranes, as well as associated changes to the structure and dynamics of these membranes. The review concludes with an outlook on future directions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Martinotti
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and, Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
| | - Lanie Ruiz-Perez
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and, Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
| | - Evelyne Deplazes
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Ricardo L Mancera
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and, Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
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24
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Wang H, Khodaparast S, Carroll J, Kelly C, Robles ESJ, Cabral JT. A microfluidic-multiwell platform for rapid phase mapping of surfactant solutions. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2020; 91:045109. [PMID: 32357682 DOI: 10.1063/1.5144770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Measurement of the phase behavior and (meta)stability of liquid formulations, including surfactant solutions, is required for the understanding of mixture thermodynamics, as well as their practical utilization. We report a microfluidic platform with a stepped temperature profile, imposed by a dual Peltier module, connected to an automated multiwell plate injector and optical setup, for rapid solution phase mapping. The measurement protocol is defined by the temperature step ΔT ≡ T1 - T2 (≲100 °C), volumetric flow rate Q ≡ ΔV/Δt (≲50 μl/min), which implicitly set the thermal gradient ΔT/Δt (≃0.1-50 °C/min), and measurement time (which must exceed the intrinsic timescale of the relevant phase transformation). Furthermore, U-shaped microchannels can assess the reversibility of such transformations, yielding a facile measurement of the metastable zone width of the phase diagram. By contrast with traditional approaches, the platform precisely controls the cooling and heating rates by tuning the flow rate, and the absolute temperature excursion by the hot and cold thermal profile, which remain stationary during operation, thus allowing the sequential and reproducible screening of large sample arrays. As a model system, we examined the transition from the micellar (L1) to the liquid crystalline lamellar phase (Lα), upon cooling, of aqueous solutions of sodium linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, a biodegradable anionic surfactant extensively employed in industry. Our findings are validated with quiescent optical microscopy and small angle neutron scattering data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyu Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Sepideh Khodaparast
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - John Carroll
- National Formulation Centre, Centre for Process Innovation, Sedgefield DL1 1GL, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Kelly
- National Formulation Centre, Centre for Process Innovation, Sedgefield DL1 1GL, United Kingdom
| | - Eric S J Robles
- Procter & Gamble, Newcastle Innovation Centre, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne NE12 9TS, United Kingdom
| | - João T Cabral
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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25
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Kováčik A, Pullmannová P, Pavlíková L, Maixner J, Vávrová K. Behavior of 1-Deoxy-, 3-Deoxy- and N-Methyl-Ceramides in Skin Barrier Lipid Models. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3832. [PMID: 32123227 PMCID: PMC7051948 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60754-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ceramides (Cer) are essential components of the skin permeability barrier. To probe the role of Cer polar head groups involved in the interfacial hydrogen bonding, the N-lignoceroyl sphingosine polar head was modified by removing the hydroxyls in C-1 (1-deoxy-Cer) or C-3 positions (3-deoxy-Cer) and by N-methylation of amide group (N-Me-Cer). Multilamellar skin lipid models were prepared as equimolar mixtures of Cer, lignoceric acid and cholesterol, with 5 wt% cholesteryl sulfate. In the 1-deoxy-Cer-based models, the lipid species were separated into highly ordered domains (as found by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy) resulting in similar water loss but 4–5-fold higher permeability to model substances compared to control with natural Cer. In contrast, 3-deoxy-Cer did not change lipid chain order but promoted the formation of a well-organized structure with a 10.8 nm repeat period. Yet both lipid models comprising deoxy-Cer had similar permeabilities to all markers. N-Methylation of Cer decreased lipid chain order, led to phase separation, and improved cholesterol miscibility in the lipid membranes, resulting in 3-fold increased water loss and 10-fold increased permeability to model compounds compared to control. Thus, the C-1 and C-3 hydroxyls and amide group, which are common to all Cer subclasses, considerably affect lipid miscibility and chain order, formation of periodical nanostructures, and permeability of the skin barrier lipid models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrej Kováčik
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 50005, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Pullmannová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 50005, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Ludmila Pavlíková
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 50005, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Maixner
- University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Technická 5, 166 28, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 50005, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
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26
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Elpelt A, Ivanov D, Nováčková A, Kováčik A, Sochorová M, Saeidpour S, Teutloff C, Lohan SB, Lademann J, Vávrová K, Hedtrich S, Meinke MC. Investigation of TEMPO partitioning in different skin models as measured by EPR spectroscopy - Insight into the stratum corneum. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2020; 310:106637. [PMID: 31765968 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2019.106637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy represents an established tool to study properties of microenvironments, e.g. to investigate the structure and dynamics of biological and artificial membranes. In this study, the partitioning of the spin probe 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) in ex vivo human abdominal and breast skin, ex vivo porcine abdominal and ear skin as well as normal and inflammatory in vitro skin equivalents was investigated by EPR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the stratum corneum (SC) lipid composition (as determined by high-performance thin-layer chromatography), SC lipid chain order (probed by infrared spectroscopy) and the SC thickness (investigated by histology) were determined in the skin models. X-band EPR measurements have shown that TEMPO partitions in the lipophilic and hydrophilic microenvironment in varying ratios in different ex vivo and in vitro skin models. Ex vivo human abdominal skin exhibited the highest amount of TEMPO in the lipophilic microenvironment. In contrast, the lowest amount of TEMPO in the lipophilic microenvironment was determined in ex vivo human breast skin and the inflammatory in vitro skin equivalents. Individual EPR spectra of epidermis including SC and dermis indicated that the lipophilic microenvironment of TEMPO mainly corresponds to the most lipophilic part of the epidermis, the SC. The amount of TEMPO in the lipophilic microenvironment was independent of the SC lipid composition and the SC lipid chain order but correlated with the SC thickness. In conclusion, EPR spectroscopy could be a novel technique to determine differences in the SC thickness, thus suitably complementing existing methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Elpelt
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Center of Experimental and Applied Cutaneous Physiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniela Ivanov
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Center of Experimental and Applied Cutaneous Physiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Nováčková
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Andrej Kováčik
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Sochorová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Siavash Saeidpour
- Department of Physics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Teutloff
- Department of Physics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Silke B Lohan
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Center of Experimental and Applied Cutaneous Physiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jürgen Lademann
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Center of Experimental and Applied Cutaneous Physiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Sarah Hedtrich
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany; University of British Columbia, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2405 Wesbrook Mall, V6T1Z3 Vancouver, Canada
| | - Martina C Meinke
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Center of Experimental and Applied Cutaneous Physiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
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27
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Uche LE, Gooris GS, Bouwstra JA, Beddoes CM. Barrier Capability of Skin Lipid Models: Effect of Ceramides and Free Fatty Acid Composition. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:15376-15388. [PMID: 31698908 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b03029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The skin is an effective barrier that prevents the influx of harmful substances from the environment and the efflux of body fluid. This barrier function is ascribed to the intercellular lipids present in the outermost layer of the skin referred to as the stratum corneum (SC). These lipids are composed mainly of ceramides (CERs), cholesterol, and free fatty acids (FFAs). Alterations in the SC lipid composition and barrier function impairment occur in several skin diseases including atopic dermatitis (AD). As the etiology of AD is multifactorial, establishing the relationship between the changes in SC lipid composition and barrier function impairment in the patients remains a challenge. Here, we employed model membrane systems to investigate the contribution of various anomalies in the SC CER and FFA composition observed in AD patients' skin to the barrier dysfunction. Using ethyl-p-aminobenzoate permeation and transepidermal water loss values as markers for barrier function, we determined that the alterations in SC lipid composition contribute to the impaired barrier function in AD patients. By the use of biophysical techniques, we established that the largest reduction in barrier capability was observed in the model with an increased fraction of short-chain FFAs, evident by the decrease in chain packing density. Modulations in the CER subclass composition impacted the lamellar organization while having a smaller effect on the barrier function. These findings provide evidence that AD therapies normalizing the FFA composition are at least as important as normalizing CER composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorretta E Uche
- Division BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research , Leiden University , 2333 CC Leiden , Netherlands
| | - Gerrit S Gooris
- Division BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research , Leiden University , 2333 CC Leiden , Netherlands
| | - Joke A Bouwstra
- Division BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research , Leiden University , 2333 CC Leiden , Netherlands
| | - Charlotte M Beddoes
- Division BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research , Leiden University , 2333 CC Leiden , Netherlands
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28
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Schmidt WF, Chen F, Broadhurst CL, Nguyen JK, Qin J, Chao K, Kim MS. GTRS and 2D-NMR studies of alpha and gamma linolenic acids each containing the same H2C14-(H–C C–H)–C11H2–(H–C C–H)–C8H2 moiety. J Mol Struct 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2019.06.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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29
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C 2-Ceramide-Induced Rb-Dominant Senescence-Like Phenotype Leads to Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Escape from p53-Dependent Cell Death. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20174292. [PMID: 31480728 PMCID: PMC6747432 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20174292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ceramide is a sphingolipid which regulates a variety of signaling pathways in eukaryotic cells. Exogenous ceramide has been shown to induce cellular apoptosis. In this study, we observed that exogenous ceramide induced two distinct morphologies of cell fate following C2-ceramide treatment between the two breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 (wild type p53) and MDA-MB-231 (mutant p53) cells. The growth assessment showed that C2-ceramide caused significant growth inhibition and apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells through down-regulating the expression of mutant p53 whereas up-regulating the expression of pro-apoptotic Bad, and the proteolytic activation of caspase-3. However, senescence-associated (SA)-β-galactosidase (β-gal) was regulated in MCF-7 cells after C2-ceramide treatment. The results of proliferation and apoptosis assays showed that MCF-7 cells were more resistant to C2-ceramide treatment compared to MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, C2-ceramide treatment induced a time-responsive increase in Rb protein, a key regulator of senescence accompanied with the upregulation of both mRNA level and protein level of SA-genes PAI-1 and TGaseII in MCF-7 but not in MDA-MB-231 cells, suggesting that some cancer cells escape apoptosis through modulating senescence-like phenotype. The results of our present study depicted the mechanism of C2-ceramide-resistant breast cancer cells, which might benefit the strategic development of ceramide-based chemotherapeutics against cancer in the future.
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30
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Garić D, De Sanctis JB, Shah J, Dumut DC, Radzioch D. Biochemistry of very-long-chain and long-chain ceramides in cystic fibrosis and other diseases: The importance of side chain. Prog Lipid Res 2019:100998. [PMID: 31445070 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2019.100998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Ceramides, the principal building blocks of all sphingolipids, have attracted the attention of many scientists around the world interested in developing treatments for cystic fibrosis, the most common genetic disease of Caucasians. Many years of fruitful research in this field have produced some fundamentally important, yet controversial results. Here, we aimed to summarize the current knowledge on the role of long- and very-long- chain ceramides, the most abundant species of ceramides in animal cells, in cystic fibrosis and other diseases. We also aim to explain the importance of the length of their side chain in the context of stability of transmembrane proteins through a concise synthesis of their biophysical chemistry, cell biology, and physiology. This review also addresses several remaining riddles in this field. Finally, we discuss the technical challenges associated with the analysis and quantification of ceramides. We provide the evaluation of the antibodies used for ceramide quantification and we demonstrate their lack of specificity. Results and discussion presented here will be of interest to anyone studying these enigmatic lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dušan Garić
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Juan B De Sanctis
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Juhi Shah
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daciana Catalina Dumut
- Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Danuta Radzioch
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic; Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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31
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Effect of Ceramide Tail Length on the Structure of Model Stratum Corneum Lipid Bilayers. Biophys J 2019; 114:113-125. [PMID: 29320678 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid bilayers composed of non-hydroxy sphingosine ceramide (CER NS), cholesterol (CHOL), and free fatty acids (FFAs), which are components of the human skin barrier, are studied via molecular dynamics simulations. Since mixtures of these lipids exist in dense gel phases with little molecular mobility at physiological conditions, care must be taken to ensure that the simulations become decorrelated from the initial conditions. Thus, we propose and validate an equilibration protocol based on simulated tempering, in which the simulation takes a random walk through temperature space, allowing the system to break out of metastable configurations and hence become decorrelated from its initial configuration. After validating the equilibration protocol, which we refer to as random-walk molecular dynamics, the effects of the lipid composition and ceramide tail length on bilayer properties are studied. Systems containing pure CER NS, CER NS + CHOL, and CER NS + CHOL + FFA, with the CER NS fatty acid tail length varied within each CER NS-CHOL-FFA composition, are simulated. The bilayer thickness is found to depend on the structure of the center of the bilayer, which arises as a result of the tail-length asymmetry between the lipids studied. The hydrogen bonding between the lipid headgroups and with water is found to change with the overall lipid composition, but is mostly independent of the CER fatty acid tail length. Subtle differences in the lateral packing of the lipid tails are also found as a function of CER tail length. Overall, these results provide insight into the experimentally observed trend of altered barrier properties in skin systems where there are more CERs with shorter tails present.
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32
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Zhu Z, Chen J, Wang G, Elsherbini A, Zhong L, Jiang X, Qin H, Tripathi P, Zhi W, Spassieva SD, Morris AJ, Bieberich E. Ceramide regulates interaction of Hsd17b4 with Pex5 and function of peroxisomes. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2019; 1864:1514-1524. [PMID: 31176039 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2019.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The sphingolipid ceramide regulates beta-oxidation of medium and long chain fatty acids in mitochondria. It is not known whether it also regulates oxidation of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in peroxisomes. Using affinity chromatography, co-immunoprecipitation, and proximity ligation assays we discovered that ceramide interacts with Hsd17b4, an enzyme critical for peroxisomal VLCFA oxidation and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) generation. Immunocytochemistry showed that Hsd17b4 is distributed to ceramide-enriched mitochondria-associated membranes (CEMAMs). Molecular docking and in vitro mutagenesis experiments showed that ceramide binds to the sterol carrier protein 2-like domain in Hsd17b4 adjacent to peroxisome targeting signal 1 (PTS1), the C-terminal signal for interaction with peroxisomal biogenesis factor 5 (Pex5), a peroxin mediating transport of Hsd17b4 into peroxisomes. Inhibition of ceramide biosynthesis induced translocation of Hsd17b4 from CEMAMs to peroxisomes, interaction of Hsd17b4 with Pex5, and upregulation of DHA. This data indicates a novel role of ceramide as a molecular switch regulating interaction of Hsd17b4 with Pex5 and peroxisomal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Zhu
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Jianzhong Chen
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Gill Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Guanghu Wang
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Ahmed Elsherbini
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Liansheng Zhong
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America; School of Life Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China
| | - Xue Jiang
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America; Department of Rehabilitation, ShengJing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China
| | - Haiyan Qin
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Priyanka Tripathi
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Wenbo Zhi
- Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA. United States of America
| | - Stefka D Spassieva
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Andrew J Morris
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Gill Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America; Lexington Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - Erhard Bieberich
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America.
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Čuříková-Kindlová BA, Diat O, Štěpánek F, Vávrová K, Zbytovská J. Probing the interactions among sphingosine and phytosphingosine ceramides with non- and alpha-hydroxylated acyl chains in skin lipid model membranes. Int J Pharm 2019; 563:384-394. [PMID: 30959237 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Ceramides (Cers) are significant constituents of the stratum corneum (SC), the uppermost skin layer responsible for skin barrier properties. Cers are a heterogeneous group of lipids whose mutual interactions are still unclear. To better understand these interactions, we characterized model membranes containing stearic acid, cholesterol, cholesterol sulfate and one or more of the following ceramides: N-stearoyl-sphingosine (CerNS), N-stearoyl-phytosphingosine (CerNP) and N-(2-hydroxy)stearoyl-phytosphingosine (CerAP). Small angle X-ray scattering and FTIR spectroscopy were used to study lipid arrangement, phase separation and thermotropic behaviour. In the one-Cer systems, the membranes with CerNP showed strong hydrogen bonding and significant phase separation, even after phase transition, while the systems containing CerAP and CerNS had increased lipid miscibility. The multi-Cer systems exhibited different behaviour. In particular, the membrane containing all three Cers was a highly miscible system with narrow one-step phase transition, which, of all the studied samples, occurred at the lowest temperatures. Our results show that even a small variation in Cer structure results in substantially different phase behaviour, which is further affected by the presence of other Cer subclasses. Interestingly, the phase behaviour of the most complex three-Cer system was simpler than that of the others, highlighting the importance of lipid diversity in real SC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Amélie Čuříková-Kindlová
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Department of Organic Technology, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Olivier Diat
- Institute de Chimie Séparative de Marcoule, ICSM, CEA, CNRS, ENSCM, Univ Montpellier, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
| | - František Štěpánek
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Jarmila Zbytovská
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Department of Organic Technology, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic; Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
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Pullmannová P, Ermakova E, Kováčik A, Opálka L, Maixner J, Zbytovská J, Kučerka N, Vávrová K. Long and very long lamellar phases in model stratum corneum lipid membranes. J Lipid Res 2019; 60:963-971. [PMID: 30885924 PMCID: PMC6495169 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.m090977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane models of the stratum corneum (SC) lipid barrier, either healthy or affected by recessive X-linked ichthyosis, constructed from ceramide [Cer; nonhydroxyacyl sphingosine N-tetracosanoyl-d-erythro-sphingosine (CerNS24) alone or with omega-O-acylceramide N-(32-linoleyloxy)dotriacontanoyl-d-erythro-sphingosine (CerEOS)], FFAs(C16-24), cholesterol (Chol), and sodium cholesteryl sulfate (CholS) were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed a previously unreported polymorphism of the membranes. In the absence of CerEOS, the membranes formed a short lamellar phase (SLP; the repeat distance d = 5.3 nm), a medium lamellar phase (MLP; d = 10.6 nm), or very long lamellar phases (VLLP; d = 15.9 and 21.2 nm). An increased CholS-to-Chol ratio modulated the membrane polymorphism, although the CholS phase separated at ≥ 7 weight% (of total lipids). The presence of CerEOS led to the stable long lamellar phase (LLP) with d = 12.2 nm and prevented VLLP formation. Our XRD results agree well with recently published cryo-electron microscopy data for vitreous skin sections, while also revealing new structures. Thus, lamellar phases with long repeat distances (MLP and VLLP) may be formed in the absence of omega-O-acylceramide, whereas these ultralong Cer species likely stabilize the final SC lipid architecture of LLP by riveting the adjacent lipid layers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Pullmannová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
| | - Elena Ermakova
- Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna 141980, Russia
| | - Andrej Kováčik
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Opálka
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Maixner
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jarmila Zbytovská
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; University of Chemistry and Technology Prague 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Norbert Kučerka
- Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna 141980, Russia; Department of Physical Chemistry of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University in Bratislava, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
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Garić D, De Sanctis JB, Shah J, Dumut DC, Radzioch D. Biochemistry of very-long-chain and long-chain ceramides in cystic fibrosis and other diseases: The importance of side chain. Prog Lipid Res 2019; 74:130-144. [PMID: 30876862 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Ceramides, the principal building blocks of all sphingolipids, have attracted the attention of many scientists around the world interested in developing treatments for cystic fibrosis, the most common genetic disease of Caucasians. Many years of fruitful research in this field have produced some fundamentally important, yet controversial results. Here, we aimed to summarize the current knowledge on the role of long- and very-long- chain ceramides, the most abundant species of ceramides in animal cells, in cystic fibrosis and other diseases. We also aim to explain the importance of the length of their side chain in the context of stability of transmembrane proteins through a concise synthesis of their biophysical chemistry, cell biology, and physiology. This review also addresses several remaining riddles in this field. Finally, we discuss the technical challenges associated with the analysis and quantification of ceramides. We provide the evaluation of the antibodies used for ceramide quantification and we demonstrate their lack of specificity. Results and discussion presented here will be of interest to anyone studying these enigmatic lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dušan Garić
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Juan B De Sanctis
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Juhi Shah
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daciana Catalina Dumut
- Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Danuta Radzioch
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic; Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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36
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Sochorová M, Audrlická P, Červená M, Kováčik A, Kopečná M, Opálka L, Pullmannová P, Vávrová K. Permeability and microstructure of cholesterol-depleted skin lipid membranes and human stratum corneum. J Colloid Interface Sci 2019; 535:227-238. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2018.09.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Bryant G, Taylor MB, Darwish TA, Krause-Heuer AM, Kent B, Garvey CJ. Effect of deuteration on the phase behaviour and structure of lamellar phases of phosphatidylcholines - Deuterated lipids as proxies for the physical properties of native bilayers. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019; 177:196-203. [PMID: 30743066 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.01.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Deuteration of phospholipids is a common practice to elucidate membrane structure, dynamics and function, by providing selective visualisation in neutron scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance and vibrational spectroscopy. It is generally assumed that the properties of the deuterated lipids are identical to those of the protiated lipids, and while a number of papers have compared the properties of different forms, to date this has been no systematic study of the effects over a range of conditions. Here we present a study of the effects of deuteration on the organisation and phase behaviour of four common phospholipids (DSPC, DPPC, DMPC, DOPC), observing the effect of chain deuteration and headgroup deuteration on lipid structure and phase behaviour. For saturated lipids in excess water the gel-fluid phase transition temperature is 4.3 ± 0.1 °C lower for lipids with deuterated chains compared to protiated chains, consistent with previous work. Despite this significant change, well away from the transition structural changes as measured by powder small angle X-ray scattering are small and within errors. To investigate this further, measurements were carried out on oriented multilamellar stacks of DOPC in the fluid phase at reduced hydration. Neutrons are used in conjunction with contrast variation to elucidate the role of the deuteration explicitly. It is found that deuterated chains cause a reduction in the lamellar repeat spacing and bilayer thickness, but deuterated headgroups cause an increase. Consequences for the interpretation of Neutron Scattering data with deuterated lipids are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Bryant
- Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Physics, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Matthew B Taylor
- Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Physics, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tamim A Darwish
- National Deuteration Facility, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, Australia.
| | - Anwen M Krause-Heuer
- National Deuteration Facility, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, Australia
| | - Ben Kent
- Institute for Soft Matter and Functional Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Christopher J Garvey
- Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, Australia.
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Beddoes CM, Gooris GS, Bouwstra JA. Preferential arrangement of lipids in the long-periodicity phase of a stratum corneum matrix model. J Lipid Res 2018; 59:2329-2338. [PMID: 30333154 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.m087106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The lipid matrix of the stratum corneum, the outermost skin layer, consists primarily of ceramides, cholesterol, and FFAs. These lipids form a trilayer long-periodicity phase (LPP) that is unique to this barrier. Knowledge about the LPP is essential in understanding the barrier function. Previous studies of LPP lipid models have identified the position of the major lipid classes and suggested that a large fraction of FFAs and the ceramide acyl chain are present in the central region. However, the precise arrangement, such as lipid subclass mixing (isolated or mixed) and ceramide conformation (extended or hairpin), remains unknown. Here, we deuterated FFAs and the ceramide acyl chain to study CD2 and CH2 interactions with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The ceramide and FFAs of various chain lengths were not in separate domains but had mixed together. The larger number of CD2-CD2 lipid chain interactions in the LPP than in a symmetrical bilayer structure implied that the ceramide had primarily adopted an extended conformation. Shorter FFAs were present in the central region of the LPP. This model explores the biophysical properties of the stratum corneum's LPP to improve the understanding of the barrier function of this layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte M Beddoes
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Division of BioTherapeutics, Gorlaeus Laboratories, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gert S Gooris
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Division of BioTherapeutics, Gorlaeus Laboratories, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Joke A Bouwstra
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Division of BioTherapeutics, Gorlaeus Laboratories, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Podewitz M, Wang Y, Gkeka P, von Grafenstein S, Liedl KR, Cournia Z. Phase Diagram of a Stratum Corneum Lipid Mixture. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:10505-10521. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b07200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maren Podewitz
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Yin Wang
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Paraskevi Gkeka
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Susanne von Grafenstein
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Klaus R. Liedl
- Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Zoe Cournia
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou, 11527 Athens, Greece
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40
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State of the art in Stratum Corneum research: The biophysical properties of ceramides. Chem Phys Lipids 2018; 216:91-103. [PMID: 30291856 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2018.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This review is summarizing an important part of the state of the art in stratum corneum research. A complete overview on discoveries about the general biophysical and physicochemical properties of the known ceramide species' is provided. The ceramides are one of the three major components of the lipid matrix and mainly govern its properties and structure. They are shown to exhibit very little redundancy, despite the minor differences in their chemical structure. The results are discussed, compared to each other as well as the current base of knowledge. New interesting aspects and concepts are concluded or suggested. A novel interpretation of the 3-dimensional structure of the lipid matrix and its influence on the barrier function will be discussed. The most important conclusion is the presentation of a new and up to date theoretical model of the nanostructure of the short periodicity phase. The model suggests three perpendicular layers: The rigid head group region, the rigid chain region and, a liquid-like overlapping middle layer. The general principle of the skin barrier function is highlighted in regard to this structure and the ceramides biophysical and physicochemical properties. As a result of these considerations, the entropy vs. enthalpy principle is introduced, shedding light on the function as well as the effectiveness of the skin barrier. Additionally, general ideas to effectively overcome this barrier principle for dermal and transdermal delivery of actives or how to use it for specific targeting of the stratum corneum are proposed.
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Chang YC, Fong Y, Tsai EM, Chang YG, Chou HL, Wu CY, Teng YN, Liu TC, Yuan SS, Chiu CC. Exogenous C₈-Ceramide Induces Apoptosis by Overproduction of ROS and the Switch of Superoxide Dismutases SOD1 to SOD2 in Human Lung Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19103010. [PMID: 30279365 PMCID: PMC6213533 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19103010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ceramides, abundant sphingolipids on the cell membrane, can act as signaling molecules to regulate cellular functions including cell viability. Exogenous ceramide has been shown to exert potent anti-proliferative effects against cancer cells, but little is known about how it affects reactive oxygen species (ROS) in lung cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of N-octanoyl-D-erythro-sphingosine (C₈-ceramide) on human non-small-cell lung cancer H1299 cells. Flow cytometry-based assays indicated that C₈-ceramide increased the level of endogenous ROS in H1299 cells. Interestingly, the ratio of superoxide dismutases (SODs) SOD1 and SOD2 seem to be regulated by C₈-ceramide treatment. Furthermore, the accumulation of cell cycle G1 phase and apoptotic populations in C₈-ceramide-treated H1299 cells was observed. The results of the Western blot showed that C₈-ceramide causes a dramatically increased protein level of cyclin D1, a critical regulator of cell cycle G1/S transition. These results suggest that C₈-ceramide acts as a potent chemotherapeutic agent and may increase the endogenous ROS level by regulating the switch of SOD1 and SOD2, causing the anti-proliferation, and consequently triggering the apoptosis of NSCLC H1299 cells. Accordingly, our works may give a promising strategy for lung cancer treatment in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuli C Chang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Yao Fong
- Chest Surgery, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Yung Kang City, Tainan 901, Taiwan.
| | - Eing-Mei Tsai
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Ya-Gin Chang
- Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Han Lin Chou
- Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Chang-Yi Wu
- Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan;.
| | - Yen-Ni Teng
- Department of Biological Sciences and Technology, National University of Tainan, Tainan 700, Taiwan.
| | - Ta-Chih Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Shyng-Shiou Yuan
- Translational Research Center, Cancer Center, Department of Medical Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Chien-Chih Chiu
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
- Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan;.
- Translational Research Center, Cancer Center, Department of Medical Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
- Research Center for Environment Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
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Schmitt T, Gupta R, Lange S, Sonnenberger S, Dobner B, Hauß T, Rai B, Neubert RHH. Impact of the ceramide subspecies on the nanostructure of stratum corneum lipids using neutron scattering and molecular dynamics simulations. Part I: impact of CER[NS]. Chem Phys Lipids 2018; 214:58-68. [PMID: 29859142 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
For this study mixtures based on the ceramides [NS] (NS = non-hydroxy-sphingosine) and [AP] (AP = α-hydroxy-phytosphingosine) in a 2:1 and 1:2 ratio, together with cholesterol and lignoceric acid, were investigated. These mixtures are modelling the uppermost skin layer, the stratum corneum. Neutron diffraction, utilizing specifically deuterated ceramide molecules, was used to obtain a maximum amount of experimental detail. Highly detailed molecular dynamics simulations were used to generate even more information from the experimental data. It was possible to observe a single lamellar phase for both systems. They had a lamellar repeat distance of 5.43 ± 0.05 nm for the [NS]/[AP] 2:1 and a slightly shorter one of 5.34 ± 0.05 nm for the 1:2 system. The structure and water content was uninfluenced by excess humidity. Both the experimental and simulation data indicated slightly tilted ceramides, with their C24 chains overlapping in the lamellar mid-plane. This arrangement is well comparable to systems investigated before. The structure of both systems, except for the differing repeat distance, looks similar at first. However, on a smaller scale there were various distinct differences, demonstrating only low redundancy between the different ceramide species, despite only minor chemical differences. The mainly ceramide [AP] determined 1:2 system has a slightly smaller repeat distance. This is a result of a tighter arrangement of the lipids chain along the bilayer normal and increased overlapping of the long chains in the lamellar middle. For the CER[NS] some novel features could be shown, despite it being the overall most investigated ceramide. These include the low adaptability to changed lateral interactions, leading to an increased chain opening. This effect could explain its low miscibility with other lipids. The investigated model systems allows it to directly compare results from the literature which have used ceramide [NS] to the most recent studies using the phytosphingosine ceramides such as ceramide [AP].
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Schmitt
- Institute of Applied Dermatopharmacy at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (IADP), Weinbergweg 23, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Rakesh Gupta
- Physical Science Research Area, TCS Research, Tata Research Development and Design Centre, Tata Consultancy Services, 54B, Hadapsar Industrial Estate, Pune, 411013, India
| | - Stefan Lange
- Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan Sonnenberger
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), Wolfgang-Langenbeck-Str. 4, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Bodo Dobner
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), Wolfgang-Langenbeck-Str. 4, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Thomas Hauß
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany
| | - Beena Rai
- Physical Science Research Area, TCS Research, Tata Research Development and Design Centre, Tata Consultancy Services, 54B, Hadapsar Industrial Estate, Pune, 411013, India
| | - Reinhard H H Neubert
- Institute of Applied Dermatopharmacy at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (IADP), Weinbergweg 23, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany; Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany.
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Human skin barrier formation takes place via a cubic to lamellar lipid phase transition as analyzed by cryo-electron microscopy and EM-simulation. Exp Cell Res 2018; 366:139-151. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2018.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Lundborg M, Narangifard A, Wennberg CL, Lindahl E, Daneholt B, Norlén L. Human skin barrier structure and function analyzed by cryo-EM and molecular dynamics simulation. J Struct Biol 2018; 203:149-161. [PMID: 29702212 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the present study we have analyzed the molecular structure and function of the human skin's permeability barrier using molecular dynamics simulation validated against cryo-electron microscopy data from near native skin. The skin's barrier capacity is located to an intercellular lipid structure embedding the cells of the superficial most layer of skin - the stratum corneum. According to the splayed bilayer model (Iwai et al., 2012) the lipid structure is organized as stacked bilayers of ceramides in a splayed chain conformation with cholesterol associated with the ceramide sphingoid moiety and free fatty acids associated with the ceramide fatty acid moiety. However, knowledge about the lipid structure's detailed molecular organization, and the roles of its different lipid constituents, remains circumstantial. Starting from a molecular dynamics model based on the splayed bilayer model, we have, by stepwise structural and compositional modifications, arrived at a thermodynamically stable molecular dynamics model expressing simulated electron microscopy patterns matching original cryo-electron microscopy patterns from skin extremely closely. Strikingly, the closer the individual molecular dynamics models' lipid composition was to that reported in human stratum corneum, the better was the match between the models' simulated electron microscopy patterns and the original cryo-electron microscopy patterns. Moreover, the closest-matching model's calculated water permeability and thermotropic behaviour were found compatible with that of human skin. The new model may facilitate more advanced physics-based skin permeability predictions of drugs and toxicants. The proposed procedure for molecular dynamics based analysis of cellular cryo-electron microscopy data might be applied to other biomolecular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ali Narangifard
- ERCO Pharma AB, Science for Life Laboratory, Solna, Sweden; Department of Medicine, Solna (MedS), Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
| | - Christian L Wennberg
- ERCO Pharma AB, Science for Life Laboratory, Solna, Sweden; Swedish eScience Research Center, Department of Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Erik Lindahl
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Swedish eScience Research Center, Department of Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bertil Daneholt
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Norlén
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; Dermatology Clinic, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Schmitt T, Lange S, Dobner B, Sonnenberger S, Hauß T, Neubert RHH. Investigation of a CER[NP]- and [AP]-Based Stratum Corneum Modeling Membrane System: Using Specifically Deuterated CER Together with a Neutron Diffraction Approach. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:1742-1749. [PMID: 28949139 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b01848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Neutron diffraction was used as a tool to investigate the lamellar as well as molecular nanostructure of ceramide-[NP]/ceramide-[AP]/cholesterol/lignoceric acid model systems with a nativelike 2:1 ratio and a 1:2 ratio to study the influence of the ceramide-[AP]. By using mixtures together with cholesterol and free fatty acids as well as a humidity and temperature chamber while measuring, natural conditions were simulated as closely as possible. Despite its simplicity, the system simulated the native stratum corneum lipid matrix fairly closely, showing a similar lamellar thickness with a repeat distance of 5.45 ± 0.1 nm and a similar arrangement with overlapping long C24 chains. Furthermore, despite the very minor chemical difference between ceramide-[NP] and ceramide-[AP], which is only a single OH group, it was possible to demonstrate substantial differences between the structural influence of the two ceramides. Ceramide-[AP] could be concluded to be arranged in such a way that its C24 chain in both ratios is somehow shorter than that of ceramide-[NP], not overlapping as much with the opposite lamellar leaflet. Furthermore, in the unnatural 1:2 ratio, the higher ceramide-[AP] content causes an increased tilt of the ceramide acyl chains. This leads to even less overlapping within the lamellar midplane, whereas the repeat distance stays the same as for the ceramide-[NP]-rich system. In this nativelike 2:1 ratio, the chains are arranged mostly straight, and the long C24 chains show a broad overlapping region in the lamellar midplane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Schmitt
- Institute of Applied Dermatopharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (IADP) , Weinbergweg 23, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Stefan Lange
- Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Leipzig , Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bodo Dobner
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) , Wolfgang-Langenbeck-Str. 4, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Stefan Sonnenberger
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) , Wolfgang-Langenbeck-Str. 4, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Thomas Hauß
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) , Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Reinhard H H Neubert
- Institute of Applied Dermatopharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (IADP) , Weinbergweg 23, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
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46
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Kováčik A, Pullmannová P, Maixner J, Vávrová K. Effects of Ceramide and Dihydroceramide Stereochemistry at C-3 on the Phase Behavior and Permeability of Skin Lipid Membranes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:521-529. [PMID: 29228775 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b03448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Ceramides (Cer) are key components of the skin permeability barrier. Sphingosine-based CerNS and dihydrosphingosine-based CerNdS (dihydroCer) have two chiral centers; however, the importance of the correct stereochemistry in the skin barrier Cer is unknown. We investigated the role of the configuration at C-3 of CerNS and CerNdS in the organization and permeability of model skin lipid membranes. Unnatural l-threo-CerNS and l-threo-CerNdS with 24-C acyl chains were synthesized and, along with their natural d-erythro-isomers, incorporated into membranes composed of major stratum corneum lipids (Cer, free fatty acids, cholesterol, and cholesteryl sulfate). The membrane microstructure was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction and infrared spectroscopy, including deuterated free fatty acids. Inversion of the C-3 configuration in CerNS and CerNdS increased phase transition temperatures, had no significant effects on lamellar phases, but also decreased the proportion of orthorhombic packing and decreased lipid mixing in the model membranes. These changes in membrane organization resulted in membrane permeabilities that ranged from unchanged to 5-fold higher (depending on the permeability markers, namely, water loss, electrical impedance, flux of theophylline, and flux of indomethacin) compared to membranes with natural CerNS/NdS isomers. Thus, the physiological d-erythro stereochemistry of skin Cer and dihydroCer appears to be essential for their correct barrier function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrej Kováčik
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University , Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Pullmannová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University , Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Maixner
- University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague , Faculty of Chemical Technology, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Vávrová
- Skin Barrier Research Group, Charles University , Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Akademika Heyrovského 1203, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
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Abstract
Abstract
The skin barrier, which is essential for human survival on dry land, is located in the uppermost skin layer, the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum consists of corneocytes surrounded by multilamellar lipid membranes that prevent excessive water loss from the body and entrance of undesired substances from the environment. To ensure this protective function, the composition and organization of the lipid membranes is highly specialized. The major skin barrier lipids are ceramides, fatty acids and cholesterol in an approximately equimolar ratio. With hundreds of molecular species of ceramide, skin barrier lipids are a highly complex mixture that complicate the investigation of its behaviour. In this minireview, the structures of the major skin barrier lipids, formation of the stratum corneum lipid membranes and their molecular organization are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Vávrová
- Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Skin Barrier Research Group, Hradec Králové , Czech Republic
| | - A. Kováčik
- Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Skin Barrier Research Group, Hradec Králové , Czech Republic
| | - L. Opálka
- Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Skin Barrier Research Group, Hradec Králové , Czech Republic
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Garić D, De Sanctis JB, Wojewodka G, Houle D, Cupri S, Abu-Arish A, Hanrahan JW, Hajduch M, Matouk E, Radzioch D. Fenretinide differentially modulates the levels of long- and very long-chain ceramides by downregulating Cers5 enzyme: evidence from bench to bedside. J Mol Med (Berl) 2017; 95:1053-1064. [DOI: 10.1007/s00109-017-1564-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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49
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Permeability and microstructure of model stratum corneum lipid membranes containing ceramides with long (C16) and very long (C24) acyl chains. Biophys Chem 2017; 224:20-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Revised: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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50
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Sonnenberger S, Eichner A, Hauß T, Schroeter A, Neubert RH, Dobner B. Synthesis of specifically deuterated ceramide [AP]-C18 and its biophysical characterization using neutron diffraction. Chem Phys Lipids 2017; 204:15-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Revised: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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