What happens to the structure of water in cryoprotectant solutions?
What happens to the structure of water in cryoprotectant solutions?
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DOI：
10.1039/c3fd00084b
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发表时间：
2013-12
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
J. J. Towey-J.;A. Soper;L. Dougan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
J. J. Towey-J.;A. Soper;L. Dougan
冷冻保护剂分子广泛用于基础分子研究直至工业和生物医学应用。冷冻保护剂稳定和保护分子和细胞的分子机制，沿着抑制冰的形成，尚未完全理解。为了更深入地了解这些机制，我们已经完成了一个实验测定水甘油的结构。我们的研究结合了中子衍射实验与同位素取代和计算建模，以确定在室温下的整个浓度范围内的甘油-水混合物的原子级结构。我们研究的局部结构的系统，重点是水结构。通过比较我们的数据与其他研究的冷冻保护剂解决方案，我们试图找到一般规则的冷冻保护剂对水结构的行动。我们还讨论了这些分子尺度的相互作用可能与系统的宏观性质。
Cryoprotectant molecules are widely utilised in basic molecular research through to industrial and biomedical applications. The molecular mechanisms by which cryoprotectants stabilise and protect molecules and cells, along with suppressing the formation of ice, are incompletely understood. To gain greater insight into these mechanisms, we have completed an experimental determination of the structure of aqueous glycerol. Our investigation combines neutron diffraction experiments with isotopic substitution and computational modelling to determine the atomistic level structure of the glycerol-water mixtures, across the complete concentration range at room temperature. We examine the local structure of the system focusing on water structure. By comparing our data with that from other studies of cryoprotectant solutions, we attempt to find general rules for the action of cryoprotectants on water structure. We also discuss how these molecular scale interactions may be related to the macroscopic properties of the system.