Bioprotective Effects of Sucrose and Trehalose on Proteins

he aim of the present chapter is to report some experimental findings on the dynamical effects induced by the addition of homologous disaccharides, i.e. sucrose and trehalose, to hydrated proteins. On purpose Elastic Incoherent Neutron Scattering (EINS) data, collected by the IN10 ILL spectrometer in the T=20 K ÷320 K temperature range, on dry and hydrated Lysozyme, also in the presence of disaccharides, are reported and discussed. Furthermore, Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy data are reported in order to show the bioprotective effectiveness of trehalose connected with the application of an extremely low frequency electromagnetic field, at 180 µT. In particular, the neutron scattering results highlight that the dynamical transition, registered at about T=220 K in hydrated Lysozyme, in the presence of disaccharides is shifted to a temperature of T=255 K; on the other hand, FTIR spectra show an increase of the CH2 group spectral contributions at 1921 cm-1 and 1853 cm-1 after 3 hours of exposure, and that such effect is not observed after the addition of disaccharides at the same exposure conditions. Keywords: Mean square displacement, neutron scattering, FTIR spectroscopy, magnetic field, dynamical transition, lysozyme, disaccharides, sucrose