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Letizia Saturni
Sugar-induced stabilization of the monoolein Pn3m bicontinuous cubic phase during dehydration
To explore the molecular mechanism of the protective function of sugars on cubic lipidic systems, the mesomorphic properties of the monoolein-water system, dehydrated in the presence of a series of sugars, have been studied by osmotic stress experiments. Two bicontinuous inverse cubic structures $(Pn3m$ and $\mathrm{Ia}3d)$ and a lamellar ${L}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ phase form under dehydration in pure water. In sugar solutions, the $\mathrm{Pn}3m$ phase shows an extraordinary stability: as a function of sugar concentration, the lattice parameter decreases to very low values, but no phase transitions occur. Instead, the $\mathrm{Pn}3m$ to $\mathrm{Ia}3d$ phase transition is obtained by equi…
Stabilization of the monoolein Pn 3 m cubic structure on trehalose glasses
Trehalose is known to protect some organisms from various stresses due to drought and high temperature. To explore the molecular mechanism of the protective function, the mesomorphic properties of the monoolein-water system, dried in the presence of trehalose, were studied by X-ray diffraction. While, in pure water, two bicontinuous inverse cubic structures (the Pn3m and Ia3d phases) and a lamellar Lα phase exist as a function of concentration, only the Pn3m cubic phase has been detected in concentrated trehalose solutions or in trehalose glasses, even under extremely dry conditions. Depending on the sugar concentration, or after glass dehydration, the Pn3m cubic unit cell decreases to very…