Biomedical subjects

Erin E Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to Erin E Wilson.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Three structural roles for water in bone observed by solid-state NMR.

Hydrogen-bearing species in the bone mineral environment were investigated using solid-state NMR spectroscopy of powdered bone, deproteinated bone, and B-type carbonated apatite. Using magic-angle spinning and cross-polarization techniques three types of structurally-bound water were observed in these materials. Two of these water types occupy vacancies within the apatitic mineral crystal in synthetic carbonated apatite and deproteinated bone and serve to stabilize these defect-containing crystals. The third water was observed at the mineral surface in unmodified bone but not in deproteinated bone, suggesting a role for this water in mediating mineral-organic matrix interactions. Direct evidence of monohydrogen phosphate in a (1)H NMR spectrum of unmodified bone is presented for the first time. We obtained clear evidence for the presence of hydroxide ion in deproteinated bone by (1)H MAS NMR. A (1)H-(31)P heteronuclear correlation experiment provided unambiguous evidence for hydroxide ion in unmodified bone as well. Hydroxide ion in both unmodified and deproteinated bone mineral was found to participate in hydrogen bonding with neighboring water molecules and ions. In unmodified bone mineral hydroxide ion was found, through a (1)H-(31)P heteronuclear correlation experiment, to be confined to a small portion of the mineral crystal, probably the internal portion.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Highly ordered interstitial water observed in bone by nuclear magnetic resonance.

UNLABELLED: NMR was used to study the nanostructure of bone tissue. Distance measurements show that the first water layer at the surface of the mineral in cortical bone is structured. This water may serve to couple the mineral to the organic matrix and may play a role in deformation. INTRODUCTION: The unique mechanical characteristics of bone tissue have not yet been satisfactorily connected to the exact molecular architecture of this complex composite material. Recently developed solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques are applied here to the mineral component to provide new structural distance constraints at the subnanometer scale. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NMR dipolar couplings between structural protons (OH(-) and H(2)O) and phosphorus (PO(4)) or carbon (CO(3)) were measured using the 2D Lee-Goldburg Cross-Polarization under Magic-Angle Spinning (2D LG-CPMAS) pulse sequence, which simultaneously suppresses the much stronger proton-proton dipolar interactions. The NMR dipolar couplings measured provide accurate distances between atoms, e.g., OH and PO(4) in apatites. Excised and powdered femoral cortical bone was used for these experiments. Synthetic carbonate ( approximately 2-4 wt%)-substituted hydroxyapatite was also studied for structural comparison. RESULTS: In synthetic apatite, the hydroxide ions are strongly hydrogen bonded to adjacent carbonate or phosphate ions, with hydrogen bond (O-H) distances of approximately 1.96 A observed. The bone tissue sample, in contrast, shows little evidence of ordered hydroxide. Instead, a very ordered (structural) layer of water molecules is identified, which hydrates the small bioapatite crystallites through very close arrangements. Water protons are approximately 2.3-2.55 A from surface phosphorus atoms. CONCLUSIONS: In synthetic carbonated apatite, strong hydrogen bonds were observed between the hydroxide ions and structural phosphate and carbonate units in the apatite crystal lattice. These hydrogen bonding interactions may contribute to the long-range stability of this mineral structure. The biological apatite in cortical bone tissue shows evidence of hydrogen bonding with an ordered surface water layer at the faces of the mineral particles. This structural water layer has been inferred, but direct spectroscopic evidence of this interstitial water is given here. An ordered structural water layer sandwiched between the mineral and the organic collagen fibers may affect the biomechanical properties of this complex composite material.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Synthesis of a digermane-containing tricylic nonadecadienedione incorporating an equivalent of ring-opened THF.

The combination of 2 equiv of bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)amide]germylene (5) with 2 equiv of 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) results in the ring-opening of 1 equiv of THF to form 2,2,8,8-tetrakis(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyl-disilazan-2-yl)-5,16-diphenyl-7,9,14-trioxa-1,3,5,16,18,19-hexaaza-2,8-digerma-tricyclo[13.2.1.13,6]nonadeca-6(19),15(18)-diene-4,17-dione (6). This fast and nearly quantitative reaction builds a 15-membered ring from five different molecules. The new ring, structurally assigned by X-ray crystallography, contains a flexible methylene chain that moves rapidly on the NMR time scale.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Comparison of "polynaphthalenes" prepared by two mechanistically distinct routes.

The Bergman cyclization has long been known to produce polymers as side products. More recently, this attribute has been harnessed for the production of conjugated materials. However, the structures of these polymers have not been established. To resolve this question, the metal-catalyzed polymerization of 1,4-dibromonaphthalene and thermal polymerization of o-diethynylbenzene were conducted. Two distinct polymers were obtained. Comparison of IR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF MS, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, UV-vis reflectance spectroscopy, and pyrolysis GC-MS data indicates that only one of the polymers is consistent with poly(1,4-naphthalene).

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determination of the conformation and stability of simple homopolypeptides using solid-state NMR.

15N CPMAS, 13C CPMAS and 1H CRAMPS spectra of several polypeptide samples were compared to determine the useful features of each technique. 13C CPMAS is the most well-established technique and is useful for quick determination of secondary structure. The 15N nucleus is more sensitive to exact hydrogen-bonding parameters, which complicates interpretation of the spectra. However, it is better for resolving end effects and structural types in short oligomers. 1H CRAMPS spectra are similar to 13C CPMAS in the information obtained, but the resolution is not as good. Using 13C CPMAS, the conformation of polyglycine was investigated in detail. Precipitation from solvents such as DCA or TFA resulted in the rippled beta-sheet structure (PG I), while 3(1)-helix (PG II) was formed by precipitation from aqueous solutions of LiBr. Grinding the sample resulted in an increase in the amount of PG I, indicating that this form is more stable in the solid state. These results agree with previous work on poly(L-alanine) showing that the beta-sheet form is more stable in the solid state. Homopolypeptides with larger side chains did not change conformation upon grinding due to the greater difficulty in disrupting van der Waals interactions and inertia of the large side chains.

Carbon Isotopes↗