Low-flux electron diffraction study for the intercellular lipid organization on a human corneocyte

Human skin stratum corneum (SC) structures were investigated by electron diffraction (ED) with a very low-flux electron beam with the help of high-sensitivity detectors, the imaging plate and the CCD camera. This low-flux electron diffraction (LFED) method made it possible to minimize the unfavorable effect of electron beam damage and to give a reliable diffraction pattern from a small selected area (0.2 mu m(2)) on a corneocyte. Dependence of the 2-dimensional ED pattern on the size of the selected area showed that orientational correlation between lipid packing domains can persist over the area much larger than their domain size. The LFED method also allowed us to trace the detailed structural change induced by the electron beam damage. The ED diffraction peak for the lattice constant of about 4.1 nm decayed in three steps. The detailed analysis of these three steps suggested that a different type of orthorhombic structure exists interacted with the well-described hexagonal and orthorhombic structures, in the process of decay resulting from electron beam damage. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.