Toward a Hydrodynamic Description of Bimolecular Collisions in Micelles. An Experimental Test of the Effect of the Nature of the Quencher on the Fluorescence Quenching of Pyrene in SDS Micelles and in Bulk Liquids

Do equilibrium and rate constants of intramicellar reactions depend on micelle size?

We have studied the combined static and dynamic quenching of pyrene by methyl viologen in sodium alkyl sulfate micelles varying in volume by a factor of more than 4. Size controls were the temperature T (283 K-333 K) and the alkyl chain length n (9-14) as well as, with n = 12 only, added NaCl (up to 9 times the surfactant weight-in concentration). At high [NaCl], up to 40% of the viologen resides in the aqueous bulk and quenches dynamically across the micelle-water interface with a rate limited by its diffusion-controlled attachment to the micelle. The micellar aggregation numbers depend linearly both on n and on the difference between T and the Krafft temperature; we have derived interpolation formulas for them as well as for the associated molar volumes of the micelles; the aggregation numbers at the critical micelle concentration are also linear functions of T, and the exponent relating them to the aggregation numbers at other concentrations is temperature independent. At given T, the volume-based quenching rate constants for different n or [NaCl] are very similar, and the same holds true for the equilibrium constants of the static quenching. Arrhenius plots identify the microviscosity inside the micelles as octanol-like; van't Hoff plots give virtually the same reaction enthalpies and entropies as in homogeneous methanolic solution; and the underlying kinetic and thermodynamic parameters are not modified by the micelle size.

Combined static and dynamic intramicellar fluorescence quenching: effects on stationary and time-resolved Stern–Volmer experiments

It ain’t necessarily so—existing theories of combined quenching in micelles are flawed. We derive a consistent model, analyze its properties, and apply it to obtain information on ground-state complexes between fluorophore F and quencher Q.

Macromolecular crowding effects on two homologs of ribosomal protein s16: protein-dependent structural changes and local interactions

Proteins function in cellular environments that are crowded with biomolecules, and in this reduced available space, their biophysical properties may differ from those observed in dilute solutions in vitro. Here, we investigated the effects of a synthetic macromolecular crowding agent, dextran 20, on the folded states of hyperthermophilic (S16Thermo) and mesophilic (S16Meso) homologs of the ribosomal protein S16. As expected for an excluded-volume effect, the resistance of the mesophilic protein to heat-induced unfolding increased in the presence of dextran 20, and chemical denaturation experiments at different fixed temperatures showed the macromolecular crowding effect to be temperature-independent. Förster resonance energy transfer experiments show that intramolecular distances between an intrinsic Trp residue and BODIPY-labeled S16Meso depend on the level of the crowding agent. The BODIPY group was attached at three specific positions in S16Meso, allowing measurements of three intraprotein distances. All S16Meso variants exhibited a decrease in the average Trp-BODIPY distance at up to 100 mg/mL dextran 20, whereas the changes in distance became anisotropic (one distance increased, two distances decreased) at higher dextran concentrations. In contrast, the two S16Thermo mutants did not show any changes in Trp-BODIPY distances upon increase of dextran 20 concentrations. It should be noted that the fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes of BODIPY attached to the two S16 homologs decreased gradually in the presence of dextran 20. To investigate the origin of this decrease, we studied the BODIPY quantum yield in three protein variants in the presence of a tyrosine-labeled dextran. The experiments revealed distinct tyrosine quenching behaviors of BODIPY in the three variants, suggesting a dynamic local interaction between dextran and one particular S16 variant.

Fluorescence emission of pyrene in surfactant solutions

The systematic description of the complex photophysical behaviour of pyrene in surfactant solutions in combination with a quantitative model for the surfactant concentrations reproduces with high accuracy the steady-state and the time resolved fluorescence intensity of pyrene in surfactant solutions near the cmc, both in the monomer and in the excimer emission bands. We present concise model equations that can be used for the analysis of the pyrene fluorescence intensity in order to estimate fundamental parameters of the pyrene-surfactant system, such as the binding equilibrium constant K of pyrene to a given surfactant micelle, the rate constant of excimer formation in micelles, and the equilibrium constant of pyrene-surfactant quenching. The values of the binding equilibrium constant K(TX100)=3300·10³ M⁻¹ and K(SDS)=190·10³ M⁻¹ for Triton X-100 (TX100) and SDS micelles, respectively, show that the partition of pyrene between bulk water and micelles cannot be ignored, even at relatively high surfactant concentrations above the cmc. We apply the model to the determination of the cmc from the pyrene fluorescence intensity, especially from the intensity ratio at two vibronic bands in the monomer emission or from the ratio of excimer to monomer emission intensity. We relate the finite width of the transition region below and above the cmc with the observed changes in the pyrene fluorescence in this region.

Protein-triggered supramolecular disassembly: insights based on variations in ligand location in amphiphilic dendrons

We use monodisperse dendrons that allow control over functional group presentation to investigate the influence of the location of a ligand on protein-induced disassembly and release of encapsulated small molecules. Based on both experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that ligand location greatly influences release of guest molecules from the dendron-based supramolecular assembly. We show that a ligand moiety grafted to the dendron periphery is more accessible for the target protein in aqueous solution. On the other hand, the ligand moiety placed at the focal point or at the intermediate layer within the dendritic scaffold is less accessible, since it is surrounded by an environment rich in PEG chains, which hinders binding and even influences nonspecific interactions. We also demonstrate that the specific binding between one ligand and the target protein can destabilize the dendritic assembly. Furthermore, if more ligands are available, multivalent interactions are also possible with extravidin, which speed up disassembly and trigger the release of hydrophobic guests.

Characterization of the interaction between surfactants and enzymes by fluorescence probe

In order to investigate the mechanism of the different stimulatory effects of the biosurfactant rhamnolipid and the chemical surfactant Tween 80 on enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose, the interaction between surfactants and enzymes was analyzed by the fluorescence probe method using pyrene as probe. Based on the evolution law of pyrene fluorescence spectroscopy in the "surfactants-enzymes" systems, the interaction relationship between surfactants and enzymes was analyzed and discussed in this paper. The results show that enzyme molecules bind with rhamnolipid molecules, participate in the formation of rhamnolipid micelles, and increase the inner hydrophobic polarity of micelles, but do not change the properties of rhamnolipid micelles above the CMC (Critical Micelle Concentration). Nevertheless, for Tween 80, enzyme molecules also participate in the forming of micelles, however, they exhibit a stronger interaction with enzymes above the CMC. Both rhamnolipid and Tween 80 bind more strongly with xylanase than cellulase. Considering also previous experimental results, it can be concluded that the interaction between surfactants and enzymes improve enzyme stability and activity, and, therefore, the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose is enhanced. The findings further provide theoretical knowledge about the mechanism of the stimulative effects of surfactants on enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose.

Microheterogeneous catalysis

The catalytic effect of micelles, polymers (such as DNA, polypeptides) and nanoparticles, saturable receptors (cyclodextrins and calixarenes) and more complex systems (mixing some of the above mentioned catalysts) have been reviewed. In these microheterogeneous systems the observed changes in the rate constants have been rationalized using the Pseudophase Model. This model produces equations that can be derived from the Brönsted equation, which is the basis for a more general formulation of catalytic effects, including electrocatalysis. When, in the catalyzed reaction one of the reactants is in the excited state, the applicability (at least formally) of the Pseudophase Model occurs only in two limiting situations: the lifetime of the fluorophore and the distributions of the quencher and the probe are the main properties that define the different situations.

Amphiphilic lauryl ester derivatives from aromatic amino acids: significance of chemical architecture in aqueous aggregation properties

Lauryl esters of L-tyrosine (LET) and L-phenylalanine (LEP) were, in a previous interface adsorption study, found to adopt very different interfacial conformations. The present study is an investigation of their aqueous aggregation properties with the goal of elucidating the effects of the presence in LET and absence in LEP of the phenolic OH group on their aqueous aggregate structures and micellar conformations of the surfactant monomers. The measured properties included aggregation numbers from time-resolved fluorescence quenching (TRFQ), interface hydration index and microviscosity by electron spin resonance (ESR), chemical shifts of (1)H resonance lines by NMR, and Krafft temperatures and enthalpies of structural transitions by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The TRFQ, ESR, and NMR experiments were conducted at various temperatures from 23 to 70 degrees C for various surfactant concentrations from 0.050 to 0.200 M. Markedly different temperature dependences of aggregation number and (1)H NMR chemical shifts are exhibited by LET and LEP micelles. LET and LEP form ionic micelles. The aggregation number of LEP decreases as is characteristic of ionic micelles, but that of LET increases slightly with temperature. The changes with temperature in the NMR chemical shifts and width of the resonance lines are significantly greater for the various LEP protons than for those of LET. The differences in these properties and other fluorescence decay characteristics of fluorophores incorporated into the micelles could be attributed to the difference in the micellar conformations of LET and LEP which are postulated to be similar to that at oil-water interfaces. The phenolic group is hypothesized to be in the micelle-water interface as part of the headgroup in LET micelles, and its location does not change with temperature. On the other hand, in LEP micelles, the phenyl ring is folded into the core overlapping with the flexible hydrophobic chains. The resulting closer proximity between the phenyl ring and the flexible hydrocarbon chain causes interdependence of the phenyl ring and chain proton resonances, leading to the observed temperature dependence of the chemical shifts in LEP. The TRFQ and ESR data are combined together in a molecular space-filling model, referred to as the polar shell model, to derive the geometrical properties of the micelle. The DSC scans in the temperature range 10-55 degrees C showed the presence of distinctly different endotherms for LET and LEP. The Krafft temperatures, K(T), and the enthalpies were determined. The higher K(T) and broader peak of the DSC endotherm of LET as compared to LEP are attributed to the stabilization of fiberlike structures below the Krafft temperature due to its chirality and the hydrogen bonding capability of the phenolic OH and also to the ion-dipole interactions. Thus, all of the observed differences between LET and LEP could be attributed to the difference in their chemical architecture.

Kinetics of Photochemical Reactions under Restricted Geometry Conditions

Kinetics of ground state reactions under restricted geometry conditions have been rationalized generally taking as a basis the Pseudophase Model, whose basic hypothesis is: The distribution of the reactants between the pseudophases is at equilibrium, that is, the rate of the reaction is slow in relation to the rates of entry and exit of the reactant to and from the receptor. However, photochemical reactions are generally very rapid, so the following question emerges: is the Pseudophase Model still applicable to photochemical reactions? To answer this question has been the primary objective of this work in which photochemical reactions in micelles, polymers and cyclodextrins have been reviewed. The lifetime of the fluorophore and the distributions of the quencher and the probe are crucial properties; they must be taken into account to obtain a proper description of the behaviour of a given system. The models of Infelta, Almgren and Quina visualise different scenarios with varied combinations of these properties. It is shown that, in some cases, the Pseudophase Model holds at least formally.

Effect of surfactant structure on the residual fluorescence of micelle-based fluorescent probes

In the present paper we have investigated some photo-physical characteristics of different micellar-based fluorescent probes containing a fluorophore (pyrene) and a quencher unit (dodecyl-dioxo 2,3,2). The fluorescent response of the probe in the presence of Cu(II) ions was studied using different micellar substrates, and it was found that the pH at which the On-Off jump occurs is not influenced by the chemical structure of surfactant. In addition, the experimental residual fluorescence is not proportionally affected by microviscosity or by the size of the micellar aggregates. The signal of the native fluorescence of pyrene was observed even when the quencher's occupancy number was greater than one. Moreover, we observed discrepancies between experimental values and calculated residual fluorescence using Laplace data. These results were interpreted suggesting that the residual fluorescence has two main components, one that seems to be independent on micellar properties, while the other is directly related to location of molecules inside the surfactant aggregates that serve as substrate.

Physicochemical characterization of phospholipid solubilized mixed micelles and a hydrodynamic model of interfacial fluorescence quenching

Mixed micelles of solubilized dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and the zwitterionic detergent dodecyldimethylammoniopropane sulfonate are characterized employing time-resolved fluorescence quenching (TRFQ), electron spin resonance (ESR), and surface tensiometry toward the goal of investigating interfacial reactions using these micelles as host reaction media. The properties measured are the micelle aggregation numbers, interfacial hydration index, microviscosity, and the critical micelle concentrations for various molar fractions, XDMPC, of DMPC, 0<or=XDMPC<0.35. A complementary interpretation of the experimental results from TRFQ and ESR within the framework of a polar shell model for the mixed micelle yields some microstructural features, including the micelle core radius, polar shell thickness, and the fraction of the total hydrocarbon that overlaps with the micelle-water interface. The results of the characterization are applied in investigating an interfacial reaction; namely, micellar fluorescence quenching. A bulk hydrodynamic model when modified appropriately so as to be applicable to reaction within the interface is shown to describe micellar fluorescence quenching kinetics and also provides some insight into the location of guest molecules in micelles.

Location of Spectroscopic Probes in Self-Aggregating Assemblies. II. The Location of Pyrene and Other Probes in Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Micelles

The location of pyrene in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles is determined as a function of the aggregation number, N, by exploiting the fact that spin probes 5- and 16-doxyl stearic acid methyl esters (5DSE and 16DSE, respectively) are effective quenchers of pyrene fluorescence. The locations of the two spin probes are known from Part 1 of this series (J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 9791) and the distance between the probes and pyrene is determined by using a hydrodynamic theory to predict the quenching rate constant. The hydrodynamic theory requires the microviscosity of the regions through which the probe and pyrene diffuse. The same spin probe that serves as quencher provides a measure of the microviscosity; thus, all the information needed to locate pyrene is available from each spin probe. Employing 5DSE, at N = 53, pyrene is found to diffuse through a zone 67% of which lies within the Stern layer and 33% in the core. As the micelle grows, due to increasing either the surfactant or added-salt concentration, this diffusion zone moves outward such that, at N = 130, near the sphere-rod transition, it lies approximately 75% within the Stern layer and 25% in the core. Employing 16DSE, the location of pyrene is within 0.4 A of that found from 5DSE at low values of N and within 0.8 A at high values. Full information required to locate pyrene by using the currently developed method is not yet available for other spin probes and other commonly employed quenchers; nevertheless, using a variety of strategies and reasonable assumptions leads to the same location of pyrene within the uncertainties of the method. All of the spectroscopic probes employed in this study are largely located within the polar shell of the micelles, the largest departure being about 4% of the diameter of the micelle.

Effect of temperature and surfactant structure on the microviscosity at the micelle-water interface: isomeric alkylbenzenesulfonates used as their own probe

We investigated the effect of temperature and surfactant structure on the microviscosity in aqueous micellar solutions formed by isomeric hexadecylbenzenesulfonates (xphiC16, where x=4-6 and indicates the position of the benzene ring [phi] along the alkyl chain) by fluorescence polarization and excimer emission spectroscopy. For a given isomer, the degree of polarization (p) was found to decrease with increasing temperature, with no evidence for changes in micellar structure. etaint/tau ratios, where etaint is the microviscosity of the benzene environment in micelles and tau its natural lifetime, were derived from fluorescence polarization measurements and showed a similar temperature behavior to that observed with the degree of polarization, suggesting that a thermal effect is the determinant factor in the variation of etaint. Interestingly, the microviscosity around the benzene ring was found to depend on the isomer structure in the entire range of temperatures investigated (8-60 degrees C) and is mainly determined by the orientation of the surfactant at the micelle-water interface in which the short alkyl chain is preferentially located at the interface and the long alkyl chain in the micellar core. This micelle conformation was found to prevail in the entire range of temperatures. In contrast to the dependence of p with temperature, excimer to monomer maximum emission ratios (IE/IM) were found to increase with increasing temperature, showing that when IE/IM is high (strong excimer emission), the degree of polarization is low (low microviscosity) and vice versa. Thus, the two independent measurements (IE/IM and p) yield the same information, namely, that the benzene moiety in all xphiC16 aqueous micelles resists both translational and rotational diffusion in a similar manner in the entire range of temperatures investigated (approximately 8-60 degrees C).

Location of Spectroscopic Probes in Self-Aggregating Assemblies. I. The Case for 5-Doxylstearic Acid Methyl Ester Serving as a Benchmark Spectroscopic Probe to Study Micelles

A strategy to locate spectroscopic probes in micelles is presented which involves establishing a "benchmark" probe, i.e., one whose position is well-known and against which other probe positions may be established. Theoretically calculated values of the fraction of the micelle polar shell occupied by water, H(shell), are compared with experimental values measured with the spin probe 5-doxylstearic acid methyl ester (5DSE) for a series of sodium n-alkyl sulfate micelles as functions of both the aggregation numbers and the alkyl chain length. The theoretical values involve one adjustable parameter that may be taken to be the volume in the polar shell inaccessible to water, V(dry). Under the hypothesis that the thickness of the polar shell (5 Angstroms) remains constant as either the aggregation number or the chain length is varied, we find excellent agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results, using the same value of V(dry) for chain lengths 8-12 and for aggregation numbers varying from approximately 38 to 130. We argue that these are compelling reasons that 5DSE follows the zero-order model (ZOM) of probe location. The ZOM applies to any probe that rapidly diffuses within the confines of the micelle polar shell and nowhere else. Thus, 5DSE can serve as a benchmark in the sodium alkyl sulfate micelles. As a further check, results are also presented for ammonium dodecyl sulfate micelles, where 5DSE is also found to follow the ZOM, i.e, no further adjustable parameters are needed to pass from the sodium alkyl sulfate micelles to ammonium dodecyl sulfate micelles. In contrast, results are also presented for a similar spin probe 16-doxylstearic acid methyl ester (16DSE) that is found not to adhere to the ZOM in any of the micelles. A simple first-order correction to the ZOM in which 16DSE is displaced slightly from the polar shell is shown to account for the results well. The necessary displacements, which range from about 0.7 Angstroms outside the polar shell to 1.3 Angstroms inside, are not correlated with either chain lengths or aggregation numbers; however, they correlate rather well with H(shell). Calibrations of 6-, 7-, 10-, and 12DSE spin probes are presented in the Appendix, making them available to measure microviscosities and effective water concentrations.

Phospholipid containing mixed micelles

Mixed micelles of l,2-diheptanoyl-sn-grycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) with ionic detergents were prepared to develop well characterized substrates for the study of lipolytic enzymes. The aggregates that formed on mixing DHPC with the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and with the positively charged dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) were investigated using time-resolved fluorescence quenching (TRFQ) to determine the aggregation numbers and bimolecular collision rates, and electron spin resonance (ESR) to measure the hydration index and microviscosity of the micelles at the micelle-water interface. Mixed micelles between the phospholipid and each of the detergents formed in all compositions, yielding interfaces with varying charge, hydration, and microviscosity. Both series of micelles were found to be globular up to 0.7 mole fraction of DHPC, while the aggregation numbers varied within the same concentration range of the components less than 15%. Addition of the zwitterionic phospholipid component increased the degree of counterion dissociation as measured by the quenching of the fluorescence of pyrene by the bromide ions bound to DHPC/DTAB micelles, showing that at 0.6 mole fraction of DHPC 80% of the bromide ions are dissociated from the micelles. The interface water concentration decreased significantly on addition of DHPC to each detergent. For combined phospholipid and detergent concentration of 50 mM the interface water concentration decreased, as measured by ESR of the spin-probes, from 38.5 M/L of interface volume in SDS alone to 9 M/L when the phospholipid was present at 0.7 mole fraction. Similar addition of DHPC to DTAB decreased the interfacial water concentration from 27 M/L to 11 M/L. Determination of the physicochemical parameters of the phospholipid containing mixed micelles here presented are likely to provide important insight into the design of assay systems for kinetic studies of phospholipid metabolizing enzymes.

Effect of the Nature of the Counterion on the Properties of Anionic Surfactants. 4. Characterizing Micelles of Tetraalkylammonium Dodecyl Sulfate as Reaction Media

Micelles formed in water from tetramethyl-, tetraethyl-, tetrapropyl- and tetrabutylammonium dodecyl sulfate (TMADS, TEADS, TPADS, and TBADS, respectively) are characterized as reaction media. All of the results are identical in the presence or absence of added salt, provided micelles of the same aggregation number, N, are compared. The microviscosity (eta) deduced from the rotational motion of the nitroxide group of a spin probe increases modestly as a function of N in TMADS and TEADS, decreases slightly in TPADS, and decreases slightly before increasing in TBADS. The activation energy for the viscosity is remarkably similar in all of the tetraalkylammonium dodecyl sulfate (TAADS) micelles and is similar to that in ethanol/water mixtures as well as other anionic and cationic micelles. The volume fraction occupied by water in the polar shell, H(t), decreases with N in TMADS, TEADS, and TPADS at 10, 25, and 45 degrees C whereas it decreases, goes through a minimum, and then increases in TBADS. H(t) also decreases with the size of the counterion. The bimolecular collision rate as deduced from fluorescence quenching of pyrene by dodecylpyridinium chloride conforms well to a hydrodynamic description, varying linearly with T/eta, where T is the absolute temperature and passing through the origin. Quenching probablities of 0.53, 0.51, 0.45, 0.39 for TMADS, TEADS, TPADS, and TBADS, respectively, are rationalized in terms of small shifts of the diffusion zones outside of the Stern layer by an average of 16% of the Stern layer thickness.

Study of rare encounters in a membrane using quenching of cascade reaction between triplet and photochrome probes with nitroxide radicals

Measurements of active encounters between molecules in native membranes containing ingredients, including proteins, are of prime importance. To estimate rare encounters in a high range of rate constants (rate coefficients) and distances between interacting molecules in membranes, a cascade of photochemical reactions for molecules diffusing in multilamellar liposomes was investigated. The sensitised cascade triplet cis-trans photoisomerisation of the excited stilbene involves the use of a triplet sensitiser (Erythrosin B), a photochrome stilbene-derivative probe (4-dimethylamino-4'-aminostilbene) exhibiting the phenomenon of trans-cis photoisomerisation, and nitroxide radicals (5-doxyl stearic acid) to quench the excited triplet state of the sensitiser. Measurement of the phosphorescence lifetime of Erythrosin B and the fluorescence enhancement of the stilbene-derivative photochrome probe, at various concentrations of the nitroxide probe, made it possible to calculate the quenching rate constant k(q)= 1.1 x 10(15) cm2 M(-1) s(-1) and the rate constant of the triplet-triplet energy transfer between the sensitiser and stilbene probe k(T)= 1.0 x 10(12) cm2 M(-1) s(-1). These values, together with the data on diffusion rate constant, obtained by methods utilising various theoretical characteristic times of about seven orders of magnitude and the experimental rate constants of about five orders of magnitude, were found to be in good agreement with the advanced theory of diffusion-controlled reactions in two dimensions. Because the characteristic time of the proposed cascade method is relatively large (0.1 s), it is possible to follow rare collisions between molecules and free radicals in model and biological membranes with a very sensitive fluorescence spectroscopy technique, using a relatively low concentration of probes.