• Kent, B.; Hauss, T.; Deme, B.; Cristiglio, V.; Darwish, T.; Hunt, T.; Bryant, G.; Garvey, C.J.: Direct Comparison of Disaccharide Interaction with Lipid Membranes at Reduced Hydrations. Langmuir 31 (2015), p. 9134-9141

10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b02127
Open Accesn Version

Abstract:
Understanding sugar-lipid interactions during desiccation and freezing is an important step in the elucidation of cryo- and anhydro- protection mechanisms. We determine sucrose, trehalose and water concentration distributions in intra-bilayer volumes between opposing dioleoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers over a range of reduced hydrations and sugar concentrations. Stacked lipid bilayers at re-duced hydration provide a suitable system to mimic environmental dehydration effects, as well as a suitable system for direct probing of sugar locations by neutron membrane diffraction. Sugar distri-butions show that sucrose and trehalose both behave as typical uncharged solutes, largely excluded from the lipid bilayers regardless of sugar identity, and with no correlation between sugar distribu-tion and the lipid headgroup position as the hydration is changed. These results are discussed in terms of current opinions about cryo- and anhydro- protection mechanisms.