Influence of hydration on epidermal tissue

The influence of hydration on the dynamic properties of rat epidermal skin has been determined with the use of solid‐state NMR. Samples were prepared with varying degrees of hydration using deuterium oxide and then subjected to CP–MAS (cross‐polarization–magic‐angle spinning) with a varible contact time. By fitting the carbon magnetization as a function of contact time, estimates of the rates of polarization transfer and decay of magnetization were obtained. Increasing water content up to 50% (w/w) caused a progressive decrease in the apparent rate of proton‐carbon transfer of polarization as well as an accelerated decay of the carbonyl magnetization. This may indicate that there is greater mobility of the skin components in the presence of water. The results are suggestive for providing quantitative information for the change in the effective diffusion coefficient of water in skin with increasing hydration.