Reducing the Harmful Effects of Infrared Radiation on the Skin Using Bicosomes Incorporating β-Carotene.

Aim: In this work the effect of infrared (IR) radiation, at temperatures between 25 and 30°C, on the formation of free radicals (FRs) in the skin is studied. Additionally, the influence of IR radiation at high temperatures in the degradation of skin collagen is evaluated. In both experiments the protective effect against IR radiation of phospholipid nanostructures (bicosomes) incorporating β-carotene (Bcb) is also evaluated.

Lamellar body mimetic system: An up-to-down repairing strategy of the stratum corneum lipid structure.

Epidermal lamellar bodies (LBs) are organelles that secrete their content, mainly lipids and enzymes, into the intercorneocyte space of the stratum corneum (SC) to form the lamellar structure of this tissue. Thus, LBs have a key role in permeability and the microbial cutaneous barrier. In this work, a complex lipid system that mimics the morphology, structure and composition of LBs has been designed.

Advanced lipid systems containing β-carotene: stability under UV-vis radiation and application on porcine skin in vitro.

Phospholipid-based nanostructures, bicelles and bicosomes, are proposed as carriers of the antioxidant β-carotene. The stability of these nanostructures and their carotenoid cargo was evaluated in an oxidation environment induced by ultraviolet A, visible and infrared A radiation (UVA-VIS-IRA). Additionally, the effect of these nanoaggregates on non-irradiated and irradiated skin microstructure was studied.

Effect of the surface charge of artificial model membranes on the aggregation of amyloid β-peptide.

The neurotoxicity effect of the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide, the primary constituent of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease, occurs through interactions with neuronal membranes. Here, we attempt to clarify the mechanisms and consequences of the interaction of Aβ with lipid membranes. We have used liposomes as a model of biological membrane, and have devoted particular attention to the bilayer charge effect.

Bicelles: lipid nanostructured platforms with potential dermal applications.

Bicelles emerge as promising membrane models, and because of their attractive combination of lipid composition, small size and morphological versatility, they become new targets in skin research. Bicelles are able to modify skin biophysical parameters and modulate the skin's barrier function, acting to enhance drug penetration. Because of their nanostructured assemblies, bicelles have the ability to penetrate through the narrow intercellular spaces of the stratum corneum of the skin to reinforce its lipid lamellae.

Structural Versatility of Bicellar Systems and Their Possibilities as Colloidal Carriers.

Bicellar systems are lipid nanostructures formed by long- and short-chained phospholipids dispersed in aqueous solution. The morphological transitions of bicellar aggregates due to temperature, composition and time variations have been revised in this work. To this end, two bicellar systems have been considered; one formed by dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dihexanoyl- phosphatidylcholine (DHPC) and another formed by dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and DHPC.

Bicosomes: bicelles in dilute systems.

Bicelles are discoidal phospholipid nanostructures at high lipid concentrations. Under dilute conditions, bicelles become larger and adopt a variety of morphologies. This work proposes a strategy to preserve the discoidal morphology of bicelles in environments with high water content.

Conformational changes in stratum corneum lipids by effect of bicellar systems.

Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was applied to study the effects of the bicelles formed by dimyristoyl-glycero-phosphocholine (DMPC) and dihexanoyl-glycero-phosphocholine (DHPC) in porcine stratum corneum (SC) in vitro. A comparison of skin samples treated and untreated with bicelles at different temperatures was carried out. The analysis of variations after treatment in the position of the symmetric CH2 stretching, CH2 scissoring, and CH2 rocking vibrations reported important information about the effect of bicelles on the skin.