Influence of Sex and Hair Growth Cycle on Lipid Composition of Mouse Epidermis.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The lipid composition of the epidermis of male and female Swiss mice at 3 different stages of hair growth cycle (4th, 12th and 22nd days following plucking) was determined and compared with the lipid composition of methylcholanthrene-treated epidermis. The total lipid content of 4th day male epidermis is much lower than that of the epidermis of the 12th and 22nd days of the hair growth cycle whereas the phospholipid level is highest in the 4th day male epidermis and lowest in the 22nd day epidermis. Female epidermis at days 4, 12, or 22 of the hair growth cycle has twice as much total lipid and approximately 1/2 as much phospholipid as male epidermis at comparable stages of the hair growth cycle. A similar relationship with respect to the total lipid-phospholipid ratio and day of the cycle exists in female epidermis as in male epidermis. Four-day male epidermis is also characterized by a very high cholerterol content, a low percentage of triglycerides and a high level of lipid material which is eluted from silicic acid with cholesterol esters.