Skin surface

Several lipids are present at the surface of mammalian skin. Their analysis is of great interest in relation with medical treatment in diseases such as acne, atopic dermatitis, seborrhea or psoriasis. Applications may be extended to cosmetic and alimentary fields. The extraction of surface lipids is efficiently processed with a very simple design (Michael-Jubeli R et al., J Lipid Res 2011, 52, 143).
Briefly, two lipid-free absorbent papers are maintained on the defined area for 30 minutes using a medical tape, and then removed with tweezers and introduced into a closed vial. This step was repeated four times. The collected lipids are extracted from papers twice with 40 ml of diethyl ether. The solution is concentrated and transferred into a vial.

A novel method for the extraction of insect cuticular hydrocarbons has been described (Choe DH et al., J Chem Ecol 2012, 38, 176). The cuticular hydrocarbons are first adsorbed to solica gel and then are eluted using organic solvents.