Steroid diffusion and binding in human stratum corneum

Abstract

The effects of hydration on diffusion in human stratum corneum have been inferred from the behaviour of a limited selection of steroids in whole human skin in vitro. Using nandrolone as a model steroid, an initial estimate of the activation energy for the diffusion process has been obtained, and, providing certain assumptions are valid, the free-energy change for the binding of nandrolone to sites within the stratum corneum has been estimated.