Building Blocks of the Protective Suberin Plant Polymer Self-Assemble into Lamellar Structures with Antibacterial Potential.

The protection of terrestrial plants from desiccation, mechanical injury, and pathogenic invasion is achieved by waxes and cutin polyesters on leaf and fruit surfaces as well as suberin polymers that are embedded in the cell walls of roots, but the physicochemical principles governing the organization of these biological composites remain incompletely understood. Despite the well-established enzymatic mediation of suberin formation in the skins of potato tubers, cork oak trees, and internal plant tissues, the additional possibility of self-assembly in this system was suggested by our serendipitous finding that solvent extracts from potato phellem tissues form suspended fibers and needles in the absence of such catalysts over a period of several weeks. In the current study, we investigated self-assembly for three-component model chemical mixtures comprised of a hydroxyfatty acid, glycerol, and either of two hydroxycinnamic acids that together typify the building blocks of potato suberin biopolymers.

P NMR Evidence for Peroxide Intermediates in Lipid Emulsion Photooxidations: Phosphine Substituent Effects in Trapping.

Intralipid is a lipid emulsion used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for its light scattering and tissue-simulating properties. The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not Intralipid undergoes photooxidation, and we have carried out an Intralipid peroxide trapping study using a series of phosphines [2'-dicyclohexylphosphino-2,6-dimethoxy-1,1'-biphenyl-3-sulfonate, 3-(diphenylphosphino)benzenesulfonate, triphenylphosphine-3,3',3''-trisulfonate and triphenylphosphine]. Our new findings are as follows: (1) An oxygen atom is transferred from Intralipid peroxide to the phosphine traps in the dark, after the photooxidation of Intralipid.

Corneobiology and corneotherapy--a final chapter.

The text obtained for this review from Professor Albert Kligman was drawn posthumously from a variety of notes that he had been planning to use to write a review on corneobiology and corneotherapy. It was a review that he had dearly hoped to complete--his final 'magnum opus' with reflections on the subject.

Barrier functions of human skin: a holistic view.

The fascinating topic of skin barrier continues to engage researchers from diverse disciplines both in academia and industry. Much of the information on the basic biology of barrier formation, its ontogeny as well as repair and homeostasis comes from studies on animal models. A smaller number of human studies have validated the usefulness of animal models, while highlighting some essential differences.