Responding phospholipid membranes : Interplay between hydration and permeability
Osmotic forces are important in regulating a number of physiological membrane processes. The effect of osmotic pressure on lipid phase behavior is of utmost importance for the extracellular lipids in stratum corneum (the outer part of human skin), due to the large gradient in water chemical potential between the water-rich tissue on the inside, and the relative dry environment on the outside of th