title: Dynamics of hyaluronan aqueous solutions as assessed by fast field cycling NMR relaxometry.
abstract: Fast field cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry has been used to study the conformational properties of aqueous solutions of hyaluronan (HYA) at three concentrations in the range 10 to 25 mg mL(-1). Results revealed that, irrespective of the solution concentration, three different hydration layers surround hyaluronan. The inner layer consists of water molecules strongly retained in the proximity of the HYA surface. Because of their strong interactions with HYA, water molecules in this inner hydration layer are subject to very slow dynamics and have the largest correlation times. The other two hydration layers are made of water molecules which are located progressively further from the HYA surface. As a result, decreasing correlation times caused by faster molecular motion were measured. The NMRD profiles obtained by FFC-NMR relaxometry also showed peaks attributable to (1)H-(14)N quadrupole interactions. Changes in intensity and position of the quadrupolar peaks in the NMRD profiles suggested that with increasing concentration the amido group is progressively involved in the formation of weak and transient intramolecular water bridging adjacent hyaluronan chains. In this work, FFC-NMR was used for the first time to obtain deeper insight into HYA-water interactions and proved itself a powerful and promising tool in hyaluronan chemistry.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, Purkynova 118, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Průsová
authors.forename: Pellegrino
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.forename: Jirí
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kucerík
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alonzo
mesh_terms: D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid