Abstract

The importance of the lipid matrix of stratum corneum (SC) in epidermal barrier function is well documented. Intravenous lipid emulsions (ILE) provide essential fatty acids (EFAs), main components of the SC lipid matrix. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of ILE upon SC barrier function. The skin barrier was assessed by measuring transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Patients receiving lipid-containing parenteral nutrition (LCPN) were compared to patients receiving lipid-free PN (LFPN). In addition, a before/after LCPN introduction study was set up to limit the influence of inter-individual variability. Twenty-six patients receiving LCPN and seven patients receiving LFPN were included. Medianagewas not significantly different between the two groups. The TEWL of theLCPNgroup(9.05g/m2/h) was significantly lower than the TEWL of the LFPN group(12.1g/m2/h; Wilcoxon test: p=0.016). The relative variation of TEWL before and after ILE treatment of 5studied patients was 21.29±10.28 %. ILE improve epidermal barrier function when compared to lipid-free parenteral treatments. Results of the before/after study confirm this conclusion and the usefulness of ILE intake for preventing excessive TEWL. SC barrier function improvement could be a choice criterion between the different ILE generations, in particular in burn patients and premature neonates.

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