Abstract
We confirmed that mannosylerythritol lipid B (MEL-B), a biosurfactant, enhances the skin permeability of the model water-soluble compound calcein. MEL-B liposomes were prepared by the thin-layer evaporation technique, and then applied to the skin. Although we attempted to adjust the size by extrusion, we could not control the particle diameter of the liposomes. However, the MEL-B liposome particle diameter remained the same over the 7-day study period. We observed an endothermic peak, with 74.7 °C as the transition temperature by differential scanning calorimetry. We also performed a fusion experiment with a fluorescence resonance energy transfer. A high amount of fusion of intercellular lipid liposomes and MEL-B liposomes occurred in a short period of time. After applying the MEL-B liposomes containing calcein to the skin, we measured the degree of calcein permeation and the amount of calcein within the skin. The resulting values were higher than those of an aqueous solution. The results obtained using a confocal laser scanning microscope suggested that calcein had been delivered deeply into the skin. Using the attenuation of total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, we observed that the OH stretching vibration had shifted to a higher wavenumber; however, this did not affect the CH stretching vibration. The measurement of transepidermal water loss after four days of continuous application of 1% MEL-B to animals revealed no changes. Our results suggest that MEL-B increases the skin permeability of compounds (calcein) that are difficult to deliver transdermally by changing the OH stretching vibration, which shifts to a higher wavenumber.
Highlights
A surfactant is a material that comprises a mixture of water and oil
Fusion may have been occurring between the liposomes rather than liposome destruction, as a result of surface action. These results indicate that when applied to the skin, mannosylerythritol lipid B (MEL-B) liposomes will exhibit a high degree of fusion with stratum corneum intercellular lipids
Compared to the application of calcein aqueous solution, applying the MEL-B liposomes containing calcein resulted in an increase in the transmitted concentration of calcein (Figure 5). These results suggest that applying calcein together with MEL-B liposomes results in an interaction with intercellular lipids to achieve a high degree of distribution within the stratum corneum; this in turn results in an increased volume of calcein being transmitted through the skin
Summary
A surfactant is a material that comprises a mixture of water and oil. The chief naturally derived surfactants are bile acid and lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) from animals and plants, respectively. Surfactants derived from these natural systems have garnered much attention. Derived surfactants can be amphiphilic when produced by a microbe; these are referred to as biosurfactants (BSs) [1,2,3]. Existing surfactants and endogenous lipids can possess a variety of bioactivities. As they are biodegradable—a property that is not found in some surfactants—they are expected to be more useful in many fields. BSs with a sugar-based hydrophilic group have increased productivity, which has prompted the advancement of their use
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