Effect of ceramide acyl chain length on skin permeability and thermotropic phase behavior of model stratum corneum lipid membranes.

Stratum corneum ceramides play an essential role in the barrier properties of skin. However, their structure-activity relationships are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of acyl chain length in the non-hydroxy acyl sphingosine type (NS) ceramides on the skin permeability and their thermotropic phase behavior.