Release of amino acids, fluorescamine-reactive substances and substance P from the epidermis of the living animal

The present study demonstrates a procedure for extraction and determination of stratum corneum amines in the living animal. A nonleaky well, containing 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.0, was constructed on the shaved backs of anesthetized animals. It was found that Ser, Ala, Gly and Pro are mainly released from the stratum corneum of 4-month-old guinea pigs, and in 2-month-old rats, Gly, Ser and Arg show the highest degree of release. Much lower amino acid concentrations were observed in 20-month-old rats. This was also reflected by the high levels of fluorescamine-reactive substances released from young rat skin as compared to the old animals. The release of the neuropeptide substance P into the aqueous medium was increased 3.2 times upon heat stimulus as compared to control skin. Amines and other compounds released from the skin may serve as markers for skin aging or for certain skin disorders, leading to a new approach for their treatments.