Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-22-2024
Abstract
Although all hexose sugars share the same chemical formula, C6H12O6, subtle differences in their stereochemical structures lead to their various biological roles. Due to their prominent role in metabolism, hexose sugars are commonly found in nanoconfined environments. The complexity of authentic nanoconfined biological environments makes it challenging to study how confinement affects their behavior. Here, we present a study using a common model system, AOT reverse micelles, to study hexose sugars in nanoconfinement. We examine how reverse micelles affect the hexoses, how the hexoses affect reverse micelle formation, and the differences between specific hexoses: glucose, mannose, and galactose. We find that addition of glucose, mannose or galactose to reverse micelles that already contain water leaves their size smaller or nearly unchanged. Introducing aqueous hexose solution yields reverse micelles smaller than those prepared with the same volume of water. We use 1H NMR to show how the nanoconfined environment impacts hexose sugars’ anomeric ratios. Nanoconfined mannose and galactose display smaller changes in their anomeric ratios compared to glucose. These conclusions may provide insights about the biological roles of each hexose when studied under a more authentic nanoconfined system.
Recommended Citation
Mia R. Halliday, Samantha L. Miller, Christopher D. Gale, Jenna R. Deckard, Bridget L. Gourley, and Nancy E. Levinger Langmuir 2024 40 (40), 20918-20926 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c01826
Comments
This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0 .
