Morin Maxim, Björklund Sebastian, Nilsson Emelie J, Engblom Johan
Biofilms-Research Center for Biointerfaces, Malmö University, SE-205 06 Malmö, Sweden.
Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health and Society, Malmö University, SE-205 06 Malmö, Sweden.
Pharmaceutics. 2023 Jul 28;15(8):2031. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15082031.
Many skin disorders, including cancer, have inflammatory components. The non-invasive detection of related biomarkers could therefore be highly valuable for both diagnosis and follow up on the effect of treatment. This study targets the extraction of tryptophan (Trp) and its metabolite kynurenine (Kyn), two compounds associated with several inflammatory skin disorders. We furthermore hypothesize that lipid-based bicontinuous cubic liquid crystals could be efficient extraction matrices. They comprise a large interfacial area separating interconnected polar and apolar domains, allowing them to accommodate solutes with various properties. We concluded, using the extensively studied GMO-water system as test-platform, that the hydrophilic Kyn and Trp favored the cubic phase over water and revealed a preference for locating at the lipid-water interface. The interfacial area per unit volume of the matrix, as well as the incorporation of ionic molecules at the lipid-water interface, can be used to optimize the extraction of solutes with specific physicochemical characteristics. We also observed that the cubic phases formed at rather extreme water activities (>0.9) and that wearing them resulted in efficient hydration and increased permeability of the skin. Evidently, bicontinuous cubic liquid crystals constitute a promising and versatile platform for non-invasive extraction of biomarkers through skin, as well as for transdermal drug delivery.
许多皮肤疾病，包括癌症，都有炎症成分。因此，相关生物标志物的非侵入性检测对于诊断和治疗效果的随访都可能具有很高的价值。本研究的目标是提取色氨酸（Trp）及其代谢产物犬尿氨酸（Kyn），这两种化合物与几种炎症性皮肤病有关。我们还假设基于脂质的双连续立方液晶可能是有效的提取基质。它们包含一个大的界面区域，分隔相互连接的极性和非极性区域，使它们能够容纳具有各种性质的溶质。我们以广泛研究的转基因生物-水系统作为测试平台得出结论，亲水性的Kyn和Trp相比于水更倾向于立方相，并显示出在脂质-水界面定位的偏好。基质每单位体积的界面面积，以及脂质-水界面处离子分子的掺入，可用于优化具有特定物理化学特性的溶质的提取。我们还观察到立方相在相当极端的水活度（>0.9）下形成，并且涂抹它们会导致皮肤有效水合和通透性增加。显然，双连续立方液晶构成了一个有前途且通用的平台，可用于通过皮肤非侵入性提取生物标志物以及透皮给药。
