Long periodicity phase in extracted lipids of vernix caseosa obtained with equilibration at physiological temperature

The outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum (SC), comprises the main barrier function between body and environment. The SC features a highly structured lipid organization: a short periodicity phase and a long periodicity phase (LPP) with a repeat distance of 6 and 13 nm, respectively. Like SC, vernix caseosa (VC), the creamy white skin-surface biofilm of the newborn, also contains barrier lipids, i.e. ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids. Aim of this study was to investigate whether isolated VC lipids also form the characteristic LPP. Several preparation methods were examined and only when the solution of the lipid mixture, isolated either from VC or SC, was dried under nitrogen at 37 °C and subsequently spread onto a support, the LPP was formed. When VC barrier lipids were first exposed to elevated temperatures and subsequently cooled down, the LPP was formed at around 34 °C, which is at a much lower temperature than observed with the lipids in SC. In conclusion, we showed for the first time that depending on the preparation method, (i) VC lipids also form the LPP and (ii) the LPP in VC lipids and SC lipids was obtained at a low equilibration temperature, mimicking the physiological condition.