In this work, we developed an experimental apparatus to directly measure transmittance and fluorescence in the stratum corneum (SC) ex vivo. The SC transmittance varied from ~6 to ~52 % in the wavelength range of 280-850 nm. For 260-300 nm excitation, the SC autofluorescence showed a strong emission band between 290 and 425 nm, which is associated with tryptophan, and another in the 600-670 nm range, which we attributed to a process involving resonance energy transfer to very hydrophobic keratin filaments. Weaker emission associated with less hydrophobic keratin filaments was also observed in the wavelength range of 350-480 nm. Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) was incorporated into SC membranes, and its penetration was further increased by the addition of nerolidol to the treatment suspension. Both PpIX and the endogenous porphyrins showed fluorescence anisotropy consistent with their localization in SC membranes, and their molecular dynamics increased significantly in the presence of 1 % nerolidol. The emission and excitation spectra of PpIX and the endogenous SC porphyrins showed similar alterations during the photobleaching induced by 405-nm irradiation. This work also highlights the SC contribution to skin autofluorescence, which could be useful for fluorescence spectroscopy applications in the early diagnosis of skin diseases.
Keywords: Fluorescence; Nerolidol; PpIX; Stratum corneum.