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We have studied the interaction between three compounds which accumulate in organisms under hydration stress--proline, betaine, and trehalose--and the membrane phospholipids dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC), and dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine in bulk solution. Film balance studies reveal that these compounds increase the area/molecule of these lipids. Differential scanning calorimetry has been employed to investigate the effect these agents have on the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition of multilamellar and small unilamellar vesicles of DMPC, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, and POPC:phosphatidylserine (90:10 mole ratio) in bulk solution. In the presence of 1 M proline, trehalose, or betaine, the midtransition temperature in small unilamellar vesicles is reduced (up to 7 degrees C in 1 M trehalose), and the transition broadened. In contrast, multilamellar vesicles of similar lipid composition show an increased transition temperature in the presence of the same concentration of these compounds. This result suggests that the inner lamellae in multilamellar vesicles may be dehydrated with only a few outer lamellae exposed to the protective compound. Finally, we have used stereomodels of phosphatidylcholine to investigate the mechanism of action of these agents. Hydrogen bonding of trehalose to the head group region results in an increase in the distance between head groups of 6.9 A. This amount of spreading compares well with data from the monolayer experiments which indicate that maximal spreading of DMPC monolayers by trehalose is 6.5 A. Molecular models of proline and betaine have also been constructed, and these models suggest potential interactions between these compounds and phosphatidylcholines. For the amphipath proline, this interaction may involve intercalation between phospholipid head groups.
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PMID:Effects of three stabilizing agents--proline, betaine, and trehalose--on membrane phospholipids. 394 95

The sublytic interactions of a mixture of N-dodecyl-N, N-dimethylbetaine dodecyl betaine (C12-Bet)/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) (mole fraction of the zwitterionic surfactant=0.6) with stratum corneum (SC) lipid liposomes varying the proportion of ceramides type III (Cer) were investigated. The surfactant/lipid molar ratios (Re) and the bilayer/aqueous phase partition coefficients (K) were determined by monitoring the changes in the fluorescence intensity of liposomes due to the 5(6) carboxyfluorescein (CF) released from the interior of vesicles. The fact that the free surfactant mixture concentration was always lower than its critical micelle concentration indicates that permeability changes were ruled by the action of surfactant monomers in all cases. Higher and lower Cer proportions than that of the SC lipids led to a fall and to a rise in the activity of the surfactant mixture on these bilayer structures. However, the surfactant partitioning into liposomes (or affinity with these bilayer structures) increased as the proportion of Cer increased up to the highest value was achieved for a Cer proportion similar to that in the SC lipids (about 40-45%). Thus, at low Cer proportions the ability of the surfactant mixture to alter the permeability of these bilayer structures was higher than that for liposomes approximating the SC lipid composition despite their reduced partitioning into liposomes. These findings are in agreement with the recently reported dependencies of the level of ceramides in skin lipids and function barrier abnormalities and could explain in part these dependencies.
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PMID:Influence of the level of ceramides on the permeability of stratum corneum lipid liposomes caused by a C12-betaine/sodium dodecyl sulfate mixture. 1036 Nov 67

The solubilization of liposomes modeling the stratum corneum (SC) lipid composition and those obtained varying the proportion of ceramides by means of dodecyl betaine (C(12)-Bet)/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) mixtures was studied. The surfactant/lipid molar ratios (Re) and the bilayer/aqueous phase partition coefficients (K) were determined by monitoring the changes in the static light scattering of the system during solubilization. The fact that the free surfactant concentration was always similar to its critical micelle concentration (CMC) indicates that the liposome solubilization was mainly ruled by the formation of mixed micelles. The mole fraction of the zwitterionic component (X(zwitter)) of 0.4 showed the lowest ability to saturate or solubilize liposomes, although exhibiting the highest degree of partitioning into liposomes. This X(zwitter) corresponded to the highest derivation of the CMCs of these mixtures (negative synergism) and to the highest reduction in the skin irritation with respect to the anionic component. Higher and lower proportion of ceramides in the mixture led to a fall and to a rise in both the activity and the partitioning of a specific surfactant mixture (X(zwitter)=0.4). This finding could be related to the recently reported dependences of the level of ceramides in skin and function barrier abnormalities. Comparison of the present Re and K values with those reported for phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes shows that, although SC liposomes were more resistant to the action of surfactant mixtures, the surfactant partitioning into SC bilayers was similar to that reported for PC ones in all cases.
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PMID:Influence of ceramides in the solubilization of stratum corneum lipid liposomes by C(12)-betaine/sodium dodecyl sulfate mixtures. 1050 29

Theregular solution approximation was used to model the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of a mixed-surfactant system containing dimethylhexadecyl betaine (cetyl betaine) and dimethyltetradecylamine oxide (myristylamine oxide) in the pH range of 4-6. With a pK(a) of 4.95, myristylamine oxide exists in both the protonated and unprotonated forms while cetyl betaine with a pK(a) of 1.83 does not have a significant fraction of protonated form under the experimental conditions. Therefore, the result is a ternary-surfactant system with the relative amounts of the amine oxide forms dictated by the pH. Individual- and binary-surfactant CMC values were determined by Wilhemy plate method and the regular solution approximation used to determine the binary beta values. When these beta values are used, the micellar mole fractions and the component micellar activities were obtained and a priori CMC predictions were made. Predictions agreed well with experimental CMC measurements conducted at various mole fractions of the three components. The regular solution approximation provided accurate results. While data collection is initially time consuming, multiple-surfactant CMC values can be readily predicted once the binary beta values have been determined. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.
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PMID:Predicting the Critical Micelle Concentration in a pH-Mediated Ternary-Surfactant Mixture Using the Regular Solution Approximation. 1055 Feb 42

The rate constants of the S(N)2 reaction of sodium 4-nitrophenoxide (1) and iodomethane were determined by UV-visible spectrophotometry in acetone-water mixtures at 25, 30, and 35 degrees C. The rate-Xwater (mole fraction of water) profile shows that the reaction depends strongly on the medium. The fastest rate constant was obtained in pure acetone, and a minimum occurred at Xwater= 0.4, whereas the observed second-order rate constants increases again in the water-rich region. In pure acetone, in the presence of dicyclohexano-[18]-crown-6, increases linearly with the concentration of the crown ether as a result of the complexation of the sodium ion (KS = 104.8 M) of the ion-pair and the increase in the effective concentration of free 4-nitrophenoxide ion, which was assumed to be the only reactive species. Ion-pairing was also detected at Xwater= 0.65 with a dissociation constant Kd = 7.82 x 10(-4) M(-1). The solvatochromic behaviors of 2,6-diphenyl-4-(2,4,6-triphenyl-1-pyridinio)-1-phenoxide (2), 4-[(1-methyl-4(1H)-pyridinylidene)ethylidene]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-one (3), and 1-methyl-8-oxy-quinolinium betaine (4) were investigated in the entire range of acetone-water mixtures. The dyes presented an increasing order of hydrophilicity compatible with their chemical structure, i.e., 2 < 3 < 4. Kinetic parameters for the methylation of 1 and the ET values of the dyes show a linear correlation of the polarity in the region of Xwater = 1.0-0.40 for 3 and 4, and it was observed that the more hydrophilic the dye the better the correlation coefficient, because of the structural similarity with 1. The activation parameter-Xwater profile shows extrema at Xwater < 0.4, reflecting an important change in the structure of the solvent that is responsible for the changes in the solvation of the reactive species including ion-pairs. These results suggest that the addition of water to acetone reduces abruptly the rate of substitution due to the preferential solvation (PS) of the phenoxide ion by the hydrogen-bonding donor (HBD) solvent. Nevertheless, the real second-order rate constant is "masked" by the association involving Na+ and 4-nitrophenoxide that extends even to water-rich mixtures. A model, based on the assumption that the free-energy terms involved in the second-order rate constant and the dissociation constant of the ion-pair have two components, is invoked to explain the kinetic data. One of the components depends on electrostatic interactions for which the main variable is the dielectric constant of the solvent mixture, and the other depends on the specific solute-solvent interactions, expressed by the activity coefficients of transfer of the species involved. The model indicates that in the range of Xwater = 1.0-0.40 the interactions are exclusively electrostatic, while for the rest of the acetone-rich region they are specific with a large contribution of the 4-nitrophenoxide ion.
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PMID:Ion-dipole S(N)2 reaction in acetone-water mixtures. Electrostatic and specific solute-solvent interactions. 1131 43

Glycine betaine and trimethylamine-N-oxide counteract urea denaturation in solutions containing urea and the methylamine in the mole ratio of 2:1. Near infra-red difference spectra (water spectrum subtracted) of solutions containing both urea with either glycine betaine or trimethylamine-N-oxide can be predicted from the spectra of the single solutes, with r(2)>0.999 both using the spectrum from 1200 to 2100 nm (where most absorbance is attributable to hydrogen bonding) and using an extended range 1000 to 2500 nm, which includes solute specific bands. Thus urea and the kosmotropes appear to interact with water independently and the counteraction cannot be attributed to specific interactions between them. The spectrum of aqueous glycine betaine can be predicted from tetramethylammonium and formate ions (r(2)=0.998), suggesting that independent interactions of the quaternary amine, and of the carboxyl function, with water are dominant. The exceptional properties of glycine betaine do not arise from specific intramolecular interactions between the charged groups.
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PMID:Near infra-red spectra of urea with glycine betaine or trimethylamine N-oxide are additive. 1168

We used static and dynamic light scattering for comparing the mass (MW) and hydrodynamic radius (R(h)) of several hemoglobin systems, namely human hemoglobin, bovine hemoglobin, human hemoglobin cross-linked with a sebacyl residue, and bovine hemoglobin cross-linked with an adipoyl residue. We measured the MW and R(h) of these systems in 0.1M phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 in the absence and in the presence of either betaine or glycerol up to 1.7 molal concentrations. The 90 degrees scattering was measured with a photon counting machine equipped with a diode laser at 783 nm. The Rayleigh ratio [R(theta)] of the instrument was estimated using R(theta) = 7.19E-6 cm(-1) for toluene at 783 nm. The refractive index increment of hemoglobin solutions was measured using a laser beam at 750 nm. We estimated a value dn/dc = 0.210 cm3/g in the absence and dn/dc = 0.170 in the presence of 1.7 molal osmolites. For all systems both in liganded and unliganded form, the static light scattering data showed a 16% mass increase with increasing concentration of osmolites. The hydrodynamic radii of all investigated systems in the presence and absence of osmolites were close to 3.17 nm. Assuming a partial specific volume nu = 0.739 for hemoglobin, and using spherical geometry, the estimated average hydration volume of hemoglobin was 32.6 L/mole in the absence of osmolites. It decreased to 23.5 L/mole in the presence of 1.7 molal osmolites. Assuming that the density of water in the hydration volume is D = 1.0 g/cm3, the hydration of Hb was 0.51 gH2O/gHb, with a surface density of 0.20 molH2O/A2. The hydration decreased to 0.33 gH2O/gHb and 0.14 molH2O/A2 in the presence of 1.7 molal osmolites. The decreased hydration was compensated by the increased mass (i.e., decreased surface area per unit volume) so that the thickness of the water shell around these proteins remained close to a single layer of water molecules. These findings indicate that the combination of static and dynamic light scattering offer unique means for investigating the relevance of water activity on the structure and function of biological macromolecules. In the case of hemoglobin, the data suggest that the decreased oxygen affinity in the presence of osmolites reported by Colombo et al. (M. F. Colombo, D. C. Rau, and V. A. Parsegian Science, 1992, Vol. 256, pp. 655-659), as due to ligand linked water binding on hemoglobin surface, is part of a complex phenomenon involving the hydration shell of hemoglobin and the formation of low affinity supertetrameric molecules.
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PMID:Static and dynamic light scattering approach to the hydration of hemoglobin and its supertetramers in the presence of osmolites. 1175 43

We have used sedimentation equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation to measure the free energy change for the glycophorin A transmembrane helix-helix dimerization in C14 betaine micelles. By varying the amount of micellar C14 betaine, we show that the protein association reaction in the micellar C14 phase behaves as an ideal-dilute solution. In this hydrophobic environment, the mole-fraction standard state free energy change for self-association of the SNGpA99 glycophorin A construct is -5.7 (+/-0.3, N=5) kcal mol(-1) at 25 degrees C. Compared with previous results carried out in C(8)E(5) micellar solutions, the free energy of dimerization is 1.3 kcal mol(-1) less favorable in C14 betaine micelles. In contrast, when considered on a per-interface basis, the formation of the glycophorin A transmembrane dimer in C14 betaine micelles may be more favorable than the association of several designed transmembrane peptides.
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PMID:Thermodynamics of glycophorin A transmembrane helix dimerization in C14 betaine micelles. 1504 20

Betaine is an essential osmolyte and source of methyl groups and comes from either the diet or by the oxidation of choline. Its metabolism methylates homocysteine to methionine, also producing N,N-dimethylglycine. Betaine insufficiency is associated with the metabolic syndrome, lipid disorders and diabetes, and may have a role in vascular and other diseases. Betaine is important in development, from the pre-implantation embryo to infancy. Betaine supplementation improves animal and poultry health, but the effect of long-term supplementation on humans is not known, though reports that it improves athletic performance will stimulate further studies. Subsets of the population that may benefit from betaine supplementation could be identified by the laboratory, in particular those who excessively lose betaine through the urine. Plasma betaine is highly individual, in women typically 20-60 micromol/L and in men 25-75 micromol/L. Plasma dimethylglycine is typically <10 micromol/L. Urine betaine excretion is minimal, even following a large betaine dose. It is constant, highly individual and normally <35 mmol/mole creatinine. The preferred method of betaine measurement is by LC-MS/MS, which is rapid and capable of automation. Slower HPLC methods give comparable results. Proton NMR spectrometry is another option but caution is needed to avoid confusion with trimethylamine-N-oxide.
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PMID:The clinical significance of betaine, an osmolyte with a key role in methyl group metabolism. 2034 34

We have investigated, for the first time, the effect of the composition of the nonpolar organic media on the benzyl-n-hexadecyl-dimethylammonium chloride (BHDC) reversed micelles (RMs) properties at fixed temperature. To achieve this goal we have used the solvatochromic behavior of 1-methyl-8-oxyquinolinium betaine (QB) as absorption probe and dynamic light scattering (DLS), to monitor droplet sizes, interfacial micropolarity, and sequestrated water structure of water/BHDC/n-heptane:benzene RMs. DLS results confirm the formation of the water/BHDC/n-heptane:benzene RMs at every n-heptane mole fraction (X(Hp)) investigated, that is, X(Hp) = 0.00, 0.13, 0.21, 0.30, and 0.38. Also, DLS was used to measure the RMs diffusion coefficient and to calculate the apparent droplet hydrodynamic diameter (d(App)) at different compositions of the nonpolar organic medium. The data suggest that as the n-heptane content increases, the interdroplet attractive interactions also increase with the consequent increment in the droplet size. Moreover, the interdroplet attractive interactions can be "switched on (increased)" or "switched off (decreased)" by formulation of appropriate n-heptane:benzene mixtures. Additionally, QB spectroscopy was used to obtain the "operational" critical micellar concentration (cmc) and to investigate both the RMs interfacial micropolarity and the sequestrated water structure in every RMs studied. The results show that BHDC RMs are formed at lower surfactant concentration when n-heptane or water content increases. When the interdroplet interaction "switches on", the RMs droplet sizes growth expelling benzene molecules from the RMs interface, favoring the water-BHDC interaction at the interface with the consequent increases in the interfacial micropolarity. Therefore, changing the solvent blend is possible to affect dramatically the interfacial micropolarity, the droplet sizes and the structure of the entrapped water.
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PMID:Solvent blends can control cationic reversed micellar interdroplet interactions. The effect of n-heptane:benzene mixture on BHDC reversed micellar interfacial properties: droplet sizes and micropolarity. 2191 86


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