Heat-separation of normal human skin for epidermal and dermal prostaglandin analysis.

Heat-separation was introduced as a simple, reliable method of obtaining pure epidermis and dermis for prostaglandin (PG) analysis. Heating of normal human skin at 60 degrees C for 1 min resulted in a distinct separation of the epidermis from the dermis. After heat-separation the mean concentration +/- SEM of PGE1 activity in normal epidermal tissue was 2906 +/- 281 pg/mg dry weight. The PGE1 level in the corresponding dermal samples was 30 +/- 4 pg/mg dry weight and the mean leakage of PGE1 from the tissue into the buffer used during heating was 426 +/- 54 pg/ml.