Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) study of natural cyclodextrins inclusion complexes with drugs

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to characterize inclusion complex formation of natural cyclodextrins (α- and β-cyclodextrin) with three drugs ((+)brompheniramine, (±)brompheniramine, cyclopentolate) in aqueous solutions. ITC measurements were carried out at 298.15 K on a Microcal OMEGA ultrasensitive titration calorimeter (MicroCal Inc.). The experimental data were analyzed on the basis of the model of a single set of identical sites (ITC tutorial guide). β-CD forms inclusion complexes of stoichiometry 1:1 with the all investigated drugs. In turn, smaller molecule of α-CD forms inclusion complexes of two different stoichiometry: with bigger molecules ((+)brompheniramine and (±)brompheniramine) of a stoichiometry 2:1 and with smaller molecules (cyclopentolate) of a stoichiometry 1:2. Based on the experimental values of equilibrium constant (K) and enthalpy of complex formation (ΔH), the Gibbs energy of complex formation (ΔG), and the entropy of complex formation (ΔS), have been calculated, for all the investigated systems. Obtained results showed that complex formation of β-CD (bigger molecule with wider cavity compared to β-CD) with both (+)brompheniramine, (±)brompheniramine, and cyclopentolate is enthalpy driven while complexes of α-CD with the all investigated drugs are enthalpy-entropy stabilized. This indicated that the difference in the cavity dimensions is reflecting in different driving forces of complex formation and binding modes what resulted in different stoichiometry of the obtained inclusion complexes.     

Isothermal titration calorimetric study on the interaction of apo-human transferrin with sodium n-dodecyl sulfate

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was utilized at conditions close to physiologic (50 mM HEPES buffer, pH 7.4 and 160 mM NaCl) and at various temperatures (20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 °C) to evaluate the enthalpy and heat capacity changes for the interactions of sodium n-dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as an anionic surfactant with apo-human transferrin (apo-hTf). The obtained results are very informative due to importance of heat capacity change as a major thermodynamic quantity that is one of the richest potential sources of information in physical terms. The obtained precise curves and heat capacity curves were interpreted in terms of molecular events such as specific and non-specific binding and the unfolding process. A three step mechanism for the interaction of SDS with apo-hTf has been figured out on basis of ITC studies: $ N \leftrightarrow I_{1} \leftrightarrow I_{2} \leftrightarrow D $ , where N, I, and D correspond to native, partially unfolded, and denatured states, respectively.     

Orientational dynamics of water trapped between two nanoscopic hydrophobic solutes: A molecular dynamics simulation study

We investigate thoroughly the effect of confinement and solute topology on the orientational dynamics of water molecule in the interplate region between two nanoscopic hydrophobic paraffinlike plates. Results are obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous solutions of paraffinlike plates in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble. An analysis of survival time auto correlation function shows that the residence time of the water molecule in the confined region between two model nanoscopic hydrophobic plates depends on solute surface topology (intermolecular distance within the paraffinlike plate). As expected, the extent of confinement also changes the residence time of water molecules considerably. Orientational dynamics was analyzed along three different directions, viz., dipole moment, HH, and perpendicular to molecular plane vectors. It has been demonstrated that the rotational dynamics of the confined water does not follow the Debye rotational diffusion model, and surface topology of the solute plate and the extent of confinement have considerable effect on the rotational dynamics of the confined water molecules.     

Applications of isothermal titration calorimetry in protein folding and molecular recognition

During the past decade, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) has developed from a specialist method to a major, commercially available tool in the arsenal directed at understanding molecular interactions. At present, ITC is used to study all types of binding reactions, including protein-protein, protein-ligand, DNA-drug, DNA-protein, receptor-target, and enzyme kinetics, and it is becoming the method of choice for the determination of the thermodynamic parameters associated with the structure transformation of one molecule or non-covalent interaction of two (or more) molecules. Here, the new applications of ITC in protein folding/unfolding and misfolding, as well as its traditional application in molecular interaction/recognition are reviewed, providing an overview of what can be achieved in these fields using this method and what developments are likely to occur in the near future.     

The hydrophobic effect: molecular dynamics simulations of water confined between extended hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces

Structural and dynamic properties of water confined between two parallel, extended, either hydrophobic or hydrophilic crystalline surfaces of n-alkane C(36)H(74) or n-alcohol C(35)H(71)OH, are studied by molecular dynamics simulations. Electron density profiles, directly compared with corresponding experimental data from x-ray reflectivity measurements, reveal a uniform weak de-wetting characteristic for the extended hydrophobic surface, while the hydrophilic surface is weakly wetted. These microscopic data are consistent with macroscopic contact angle measurements. Specific water orientation is present at both surfaces. The ordering is characteristically different between the surfaces and of longer range at the hydrophilic surface. Furthermore, the dynamic properties of water are different at the two surfaces and different from the bulk behavior. In particular, at the hydrophobic surface, time-correlation functions reveal that water molecules have characteristic diffusive behavior and orientational ordering due to the lack of hydrogen bonding interactions with the surface. These observations suggest that the altered dynamical properties of water in contact with extended hydrophobic surfaces together with a partial drying of the surfaces are more indicative of the hydrophobic effect than structural ordering, which we suggest to be independent of surface topology.     

Aqueous interfaces with hydrophobic room-temperature ionic liquids: a molecular dynamics study

We report a molecular dynamics study of the interface between water and (macroscopically) water-immiscible room-temperature ionic liquids "ILs", composed of PF6(-) anions and butyl- versus octyl-substituted methylimidazolium+ cations (noted BMI+ and OMI+). Because the parameters used to simulate the pure ILs were found to exaggerate the water/IL mixing, they have been modified by scaling down the atomic charges, leading to better agreement with the experiment. The comparison of [OMI][PF6] versus [BMI][PF6] ILs demonstrates the importance of the N-alkyl substituent on the extent of solvent mixing and on the nature of the interface. With the most hydrophobic [OMI][PF6] liquid, the "bulk" IL phase is dryer than with the [BMI][PF6] liquid. At the interface, the OMI+ cations retain direct contacts with the bulk IL, whereas the more hydrophilic PF6(-) anions gradually dilute in the local water micro-environment and are thus isolated from the "bulk" IL. The interfacial OMI+ cations are ordered with their imidazolium moiety pointing toward the aqueous side and their octyl chains toward the IL side of the interface. With the [BMI][PF6] liquid, the system gradually evolves from an IL-rich to a water-rich medium, leading to an ill-defined interfacial domain with high intersolvent mixing. As a result, the BMI+ cations are isotropically oriented "at the interface". Because the imidazolium cations are more hydrophobic than the PF6(-) anions, the charge distribution at the interface is heterogeneous, leading to a positive electrostatic potential at the interface with the two studied ILs. Mixing-demixing simulations on [BMI][PF6]/water mixtures are also reported, comparing Ewald versus reaction field treatments of electrostatics. Phase separation is very slow (at least 30 ns), in marked contrast with mixtures involving classical organic liquids, which separate in less than 0.5 ns at the microscopic level. The results allow us to better understand the specificity of the aqueous interfaces with hydrophobic ionic liquids, compared with classical organic solvents, which has important implications as far as the mechanism of liquid-liquid ion extraction is concerned.     

Solubility of ethane int-butanol + water mixtures and a hydrophobic interaction study

The solubilities of ethane int-butanol (TBA) and water mixtures have been determined at 10, 15, and 20°C and pressures up to 3.1 MPa. Thermodynamic properties have also been calculated based on the measured solubility data and the hydrophobic interaction for the methane-methane pair interaction in the mixed solvent is discussed.     

Properties of a water layer on hydrophilic and hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer surfaces: A molecular dynamics study

The microscopic behaviors of a water layer on different hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces of well ordered self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The SAMs consist of 18-carbon alkyl chains bound to a silicon(111) substrate, and the characteristic of its surface is tuned from hydrophobic to hydrophilic by using different terminal functional groups ( CH 3 , COOH). In the simulation, the properties of water membranes adjacent to the surfaces of SAMs were reported by comparing pure water in mobility, structure, and orientational ordering of water molecules. The results suggest that the mobility of water molecules adjacent to hydrophilic surface becomes weaker and the molecules have a better ordering. The distribution of hydrogen bonds indicates that the number of water-water hydrogen bonds per water molecule tends to be lower. However, the mobility of water molecules and distribution of hydrogen bonds of a water membrane in hydropho- bic system are nearly the same as those in pure water system. In addition, hydrogen bonds are mainly formed between the hydroxyl of the COOH group and water molecules in a hydrophilic system, which is helpful in understanding the structure of interfacial water.     

Conformational transitions of flexible hydrophobic polyelectrolytes in solutions of monovalent and multivalent salts and their mixtures

Conformations of cationic polyelectrolytes (PEs), a weak poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) and a strong poly(N-methyl-2-vinylpyridinium iodide) (qP2VP), adsorbed on mica from saline solutions in the presence of counterions of different valences are studied using in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). Quantitative characteristics of chain conformations are analyzed using AFM images of the adsorbed molecules. The results of the statistical analysis of the chain contour reveal collapse of the PE coils when ionic strength is in a range from tens to hundreds of millimoles per kilogram and re-expansion of the coils with a further increase of ionic strength up to a region of the saturated saline solutions. The competition between monovalent and multivalent counterions simultaneously present in solutions strongly affects conformations of PE chains even at a very small fraction of multivalent counterions. Shrinkage of PE coils is steeper for multivalent counterions than for monovalent counterions. However, the re-expansion is only incremental in the presence of multivalent counterions. Extended adsorbed coils at low salt concentrations and at very high concentrations of monovalent salt exhibit conformation corresponding to a 2D coil with 0.95 fraction of bound segments (segments in "trains") in the regime of diluted surface concentration of the PE. Shrunken coils in the intermediate range of ionic strength resemble 3D-globules with 0.8 fraction of trains. The incrementally re-expanded PE coils at a high ionic strength remain unchanged at higher multivalent salt concentrations up to the solubility limit of the salt. The formation of a strong PE complex with multivalent counterions at high ionic strength is not well understood yet. A speculative explanation of the observed experimental result is based on possible stabilization of the complex due to hydrophobic interactions of the backbone.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry of Ni(II) binding to histidine and to N-2-aminoethylglycine

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is used to study the complexation thermodynamics of Ni(II) with histidine (His) and with N-2-aminoethylglycine (EDMA). The titrations were performed in HEPES and Tris buffers at various ionic strengths and pH values around 8. The results show the influence of the experimental conditions on the shape and fitting parameters of the calorimetric curves. For the studied systems, the main reaction is concomitant with a number of side reactions which contribute to the global energy measured. From the calorimetric data measured, the formation constants for the species NiHEPES⁺, Tris⁺His⁻, TrisNiHis⁺ and [Ni(EDMA)₂OH]⁻ have been evaluated for the first time and the values obtained properly validated.     

Monitoring lipid membrane translocation of sodium dodecyl sulfate by isothermal titration calorimetry

We establish high-sensitivity isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) as a fast, reliable, and versatile tool for assessing membrane translocation of charged compounds. A combination of ITC uptake and release titrations can discriminate between the two extreme cases of half-sided binding and complete transbilayer equilibration on the experimental time scale. To this end, we derive a general fit function for both assays that allows for incorporation of different membrane partitioning models. Electrostatic effects are taken into account with the aid of Gouy-Chapman theory, thus rendering uptake and release experiments amenable to the investigation of charged solutes. This is exemplified for the flip-flop of the anionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) across the membranes of 100-nm-diameter unilamellar vesicles composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) in aqueous solution (10 mM phosphate buffer, 154 mM NaCl, pH 7.4). If repulsive electrostatic forces are accounted for adequately, SDS binding to POPC membranes can be evaluated on the basis of ideal mixing in all phases. At 25 degrees C, the intrinsic partition coefficient between the interfacial aqueous phase and the membrane amounts to 3.5 x 10(6); however, detergent flip-flop is negligibly slow under these conditions. Raising the temperature to 65 degrees C lowers the intrinsic partition coefficient to 1.4 x 10(6) but enables rapid transbilayer distribution of the detergent and, therefore, binding to or desorption from both membrane leaflets. Thus, combining a surface partition equilibrium with simple electrostatic theory appears highly useful in monitoring transmembrane movement of ionic compounds by ITC, thereby eliminating the need for specific reporter groups.     

Ion condensation behavior and dynamics of water molecules surrounding the sodium poly(methacrylic acid) chain in water: a molecular dynamics study

All-atom molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the condensation behavior of monovalent (Na(+)) and multivalent (Ca(2+)) salt counterions associated with the co-ions (Cl(-)) surrounding the charged poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) chain in water. The study is extended to the influences on chain conformation, local arrangement, and dynamics of water in the highly diluted aqueous solutions. We find that even when the salt ions are monovalent, they attract more than one charged monomer and act as a bridging agent within the chain, as the multivalent salt ions. In principle, the salt ions bridge between not only the "non-adjacent" but also the "adjacent" charged monomers, leading to a more coil-like and a locally stretched conformation, respectively. With an increase in the salt concentration, the amount of coiled-type condensed ions increase and reach a maximum when the chain conformation becomes the most collapsed; whereas, the stretched-type shows an opposite trend. Our results show that the attractive interactions through the condensed salt ions between the non-adjacent monomers are responsible for the conformational collapse. When the salt concentration increases high enough, a significant increase for the stretched-type condensed ions makes an expansion effect on the chain. These stretched-type salt ions, followed by the adsorption of the co-ions and water molecules, tend to form a multilayer organization outside surrounding the PMAA chain. Thus, the expansion degree of the chain conformation is greatly limited. When only the monovalent Na(+) ions are present in the solutions, water molecules are primarily adsorbed into either the condensed Na(+) ions or the COO(-) groups. These adsorbed water molecules form hydrogen bonds with each other and enhance the local bridging behavior associated with the Na(+) condensation on the resultant chain conformation. With an increase in the amount of multivalent Ca(2+) salt ions, more water molecules are bonded directly with the condensed Ca(2+) ions. In this case, only the condensed Ca(2+) ions provide a strong bridging effect within the polymer chain. We observe a significant shift towards a higher frequency of the oxygen vibration spectrum and only a slight shift towards a higher frequency of the hydrogen spectrum for the water molecules associated with the ion condensation.     

Liquid-vapor interface of methanol-water mixtures: a molecular dynamics study

Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to investigate the structural and thermodynamic properties and variations in the dipole moments of the liquid-vapor interfaces of methanol-water mixtures. Various methanol-water compositions were simulated at room temperature. We found that methanol tends to concentrate at the interface, and the computed surface tension shows a composition dependence that is consistent with experimental measurements. The methanol molecule shows preferred orientation near the interface with the methyl group pointing into the vapor phase. The methanol in the mixture is found to have larger dipole moments than that of pure liquid methanol. The strong local field induced by the surrounding water molecules is partly the reason for this difference. The dependence of hydrogen-bonding patterns between methanol and water on the interface and the composition of the mixture is also discussed in the paper.     

Isothermal titration calorimetry studies on the binding of DNA bases and PNA base monomers to gold nanoparticles

An isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) investigation of the interaction of DNA bases and PNA base monomers with gold nanoparticles is described revealing a binding sequence in the order C > G > A > T. Direct measurement of the strength of interaction of ligands with nanogold by ITC has important implications in surface modification strategies for biomedical, catalysis, and nanoarchitecture applications.     

Analyzing the molecular basis of enzyme stability in ethanol/water mixtures using molecular dynamics simulations

One of the drawbacks of nonaqueous enzymology is the fact that enzymes tend to be less stable in organic solvents than in water. There are, however, some enzymes that display very high stabilities in nonaqueous media. In order to take full advantage of the use of nonaqueous solvents in enzyme catalysis, it is essential to elucidate the molecular basis of enzyme stability in these media. Toward this end, we performed μs-long molecular dynamics simulations using two homologous proteases, pseudolysin, and thermolysin, which are known to have considerably different stabilities in solutions containing ethanol. The analysis of the simulations indicates that pseudolysin is more stable than thermolysin in ethanol/water mixtures and that the disulfide bridge between C30 and C58 is important for the stability of the former enzyme, which is consistent with previous experimental observations. Our results indicate that thermolysin has a higher tendency to interact with ethanol molecules (especially through van der Waals contacts) than pseudolysin, which can lead to the disruption of intraprotein hydrophobic interactions and ultimately result in protein unfolding. In the absence of the C30-C58 disulfide bridge, pseudolysin undergoes larger conformational changes, becoming more open and more permeable to ethanol molecules which accumulate in its interior and form hydrophobic interactions with the enzyme, destroying its structure. Our observations are not only in good agreement with several previous experimental findings on the stability of the enzymes studied in ethanol/water mixtures but also give an insight on the molecular determinants of this stability. Our findings may, therefore, be useful in the rational development of enzymes with increased stability in these media.     

Thermometric titration of some amines in water—acetone mixtures

The enthalpies of protonation of some N-bases in H₂O—acetone, 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 0.95 mole fraction at 298 K have been determined by calorimetry. Solutions of amines in each solvent system were titrated enthalpimetrically with HClO₄ solution. The bases studied were piperidine, n-butylamine, 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, (AMP), tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane, tris, 2,2-bis-(hydroxymethyl-2,2′,2″-nitrilotriethanol, (bis-tris) and pyridine.The results are discussed in terms of the preferential solvation of ions by two types of solvent molecules. The enthalpy of protonation of all the bases passes through a minimum at a solvent composition of 0.75 mole fraction of acetone.     

Molecular dynamics simulation study of association in trifluoroethanol/water mixtures

Mixtures of Trifluoroethanol (TFE) and water with different proportions are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The radial and spatial distribution functions, as well as the size distribution of TFE clusters are obtained from the trajectories. The variation of radial and spatial distribution functions with composition show that the addition of TFE enhances the water structure, but the hydrogen bonds between TFE molecules are broken as TFE is diluted with water. The TFE‐rich solutions have stronger TFE–water hydrogen bonds. The clustering of TFE molecules in low concentration region is attributed to the hydrophobic interactions between CF₃ groups. The distribution of cluster sizes in solution supports these conclusions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010