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Surface free energy characterization of vernix caseosa. Potential role in waterproofing the newborn infant by Wael Youssef; R. Randall Wickett; Steven B. Hoath is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

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**Background/aims:** Vernix caseosa is a proteolipid biofilm synthesized by the human fetus, which progressively covers the fetal skin surface during the last trimester of pregnancy. The exact physiological functions of vernix are unclear. Hypothetically, it serves a role in “waterproofing” the fetus during the critical period of epidermal barrier development before birth. Vernix may also play a role in adaptation of the fetal skin surface to the dry, cool extrauterine environment after birth. Given the strategic position of vernix on the fetal skin surface and the rapidly changing environment encountered by the skin at birth, we proposed that investigation of vernix surface characteristics would facilitate understanding its putative physiological roles. **Methods:** In this paper, we focused on the determination of the surface free energy (SFE) of vernix caseosa. Different approaches were used to calculate the SFE of vernix from contact angle (θ) measurements between vernix and various liquids (benzyl alcohol, diiodomethane, glycerol, and water). The critical surface tension (CST) of vernix was calculated using Zisman plots. The dispersive and the polar components of vernix SFE w

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Author

Wael Youssef; R. Randall Wickett; Steven B. Hoath

Publisher

John Wiley and Sons; Wiley (Blackwell Publishing); Blackwell Publishing Inc.; Wiley (ISSN 0909-752X)

Published

2001

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)