The Column - December 2008 - (Page 5)

December 2008 www.thecolumn.eu.com The Column Widmer and Reich Do Wrinkle Creams Really Work? High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography for The Analysis of Lipids Valeria Widmer and Eike Reich, CAMAG Laboratory, Muttenz, Switzerland. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a well-established technique for the analysis of lipids. TLC can provide rapid results without extensive sample preparation and offers advantages in detection after post-chromatographic derivatization. In this article we focus on several aspects and innovations that today’s advanced version of TLC — high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), provides to researchers and analysts in the field of lipids. Powerful instrumentation, scientific concepts and standardized methodology are the basis for reliable methods for identification and quantification of lipids from various classes. Sooner or later anti-ageing creams become of interest to everyone — at least to the majority of women. TV and magazines show us daily how important it is to look young and healthy. For the cosmetic industry our dreams are a billion dollar business. Companies try to out do each other in launching new facial care products with potentially rejuvenating and smoothing effects. But do these wrinkle creams really work? Often scientific data is scarce. Other than in clinical research, placebocontrolled double-blind studies are not the standard for cosmetics. Manufacturers may, therefore, apply completely different test methods to prove the efficacy of their products. As most of the creams have an effect on the upper layers of the skin, it would make sense to analyse the chemical composition of these layers. One approach is to monitor certain molecules as markers, as reported by a research group Authors: Valeria Widmer and Eike Reich Contact: valeria.widmer@camag.com at the department of dermatology, University of Manchester, UK. They developed a screening test for the protein fibrillin, which can be used as a “reporter” molecule for testing the effect of wrinkle creams in the repair of photoaged skin.1 Another approach is the analysis of lipid profiles of the stratum corneum; the outermost layer of the skin. Both in the development of cosmetics and in the clinical research of skin disorders such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, it is important to know the composition of lipids of healthy skin and monitor any changes in relationship to ageing or the degree of the skin disorder. A research group from Germany has recently presented an elegant method for the separation and quantification of stratum corneum lipids.2 The method is based on high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) — the advanced version of thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Getty Images 5 http://www.thecolumn.eu.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Column - December 2008

The Column - December 2008
Contents
Do Wrinkle Creams Really Work?
News
Incognito
Market Trends and Analysis
Tips and Tricks: GPC/SEC
UHPLC for the Analysis of Paracetamol
Q&A

The Column - December 2008