Unexpectedly Profound Role of Water in Biology and Medicine

描述(由申请者提供)：目标是探索水在生物功能中的作用。尽管水的作用被认为是次要的，但来自该实验室的最近证据表明，它的作用可能更主要。在亲水表面旁边，水具有特殊的性质：它带电，更有序，而且它不包括溶质。这个界面区比之前认为的更广泛，而且它在辐射能量的存在下扩展，特别是在红外波长。由于细胞内充满了亲水性表面和水，而且还存在辐射能量，上述特征可能与细胞功能高度相关。到目前为止，他们还没有被考虑过。假设是它们出人意料地至关重要，目标是在一些有代表性的生物系统中测试是否真的是这样。需要探讨的机制包括：(1)扩散和渗透。上述特征是否起核心作用？(2)表面张力和氧交换。由于这些特征存在于空气-水界面，它们控制氧气交换吗？(3)自组装。水中存在大量的近表面电荷，这就解释了为什么带相同电荷的分子会相互吸引。这可能是一种可能的自组装机制吗？(4)光诱导效应。众所周知，入射光具有治疗作用。前述水基征象是否提供了可能的解释？(5)血管异常。上述特征导致了对血流动力学和动脉粥样硬化的简单假设。这些假说能得到证实吗？(6)全球健康。由于界面区将细菌排除在外，因此可以获得纯净水。这种方法能为全球卫生应用开发吗？如果新发现的特征如假设的那样被证明是集中相关的，那么它们的相关性可能会扩大到更广泛的范围。如果是这样的话，这种基于水的方法可能会打开一扇通往生物学理解的新领域的大门。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal is to explore the role of water in biological function. Although water's role is considered secondary, recent evidence from this laboratory implies that its role may be more primary. Next to hydrophilic surfaces, water acquires special properties: it is charged, more ordered, and it excludes solutes. This interfacial zone is more extensive than previously thought, and it expands in the presence of radiant energy, particularly at infrared wavelengths. Because cells are crowded with hydrophilic surfaces and water, and because radiant energy is present as well, the above-mentioned features may be highly relevant for cell function. Up to now they have not been considered. The hypothesis is that they are unexpectedly crucial, and the goal is to test in a number of representative biological systems whether that is indeed the case. The mechanisms to be pursued include the following: (1) Diffusion and osmosis. Do the above-mentioned features play a central role? (2) Surface tension and oxygen exchange. Since these features are present at the air-water interface, do they govern oxygen exchange? (3) Self-assembly. The presence of ample near-surface charge in water leads to an explanation of why like-charged molecules can attract. Could this be a putative mechanism for self-assembly? (4) Light-induced effects. Incident light is known to be therapeutic. Do the aforementioned water-based features offer a possible explanation? (5) Vascular anomalies. The above-mentioned features lead to simple hypotheses for flow dynamics and atherosclerosis. Can these hypotheses be validated? (6) Global health. Because the interfacial zone excludes bacteria, purified water can be obtained. Can this approach be developed for global health applications? If the newly discovered features prove to be centrally relevant as hypothesized, then their relevance might extend more generally. If so, then this water-based approach may crack open the door to a new realm of biological understanding.