Article
Chemistry, Physical
Changhong Chen, Min Liu, Xiaojun Wu, Qi Yang, Fanglian Yao, Hong Zhang, Junjie Li
Summary: Understanding the antifreeze activity is crucial for developing new antifreeze agents. Previous studies have mainly focused on the ice binding affinity of additive molecules but have neglected their influence on the hydrogen bonding network of ice. In this study, we investigate the ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity of two structurally similar molecules, histidine (His) and phenylalanine (Phe), and explore the origin of their difference through molecular dynamics simulation. We propose a method to evaluate the order of the hydrogen bonding network, which allows us to interpret the IRI activity of His and Phe and quantify the influence of different groups on the hydrogen bonding network.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Libin Sun, Zhiwei Zhu, Da-Wen Sun
Summary: Freezing reduces the temperature of the food system and extends the shelf life of food. However, the formation of ice crystals could impact food quality. Ice-regulating materials have been proven to regulate ice nucleation, growth, and recrystallization, showing promising applications in the food industry.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Nishaka William, Sophia Mangan, Rob N. Ben, Jason P. Acker
Summary: One of the key challenges in subzero storage is controlling ice nucleation or recrystallization. Nature provides examples of organisms that can sustain subphysiological temperatures for extended periods of time, and by studying their proteins, we now have access to compounds and materials for biopreservation applications. This research can synergize with other advancements in cryobiology, making it a timely topic for review.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Min Lin, Haishan Cao, Junming Li
Summary: This review discusses the mechanisms and applications of ice formation control strategies in biomaterial cryopreservation. It summarizes the theoretical models, key factors, research methods, and control strategies for ice nucleation, growth, and recrystallization processes.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Jianfan Ma, Xiangyu Zhang, Zhongxin Cui, Meirong Zhao, Lei Zhang, Haishan Qi
Summary: This study systematically investigated the antifreeze performances of 18 water-soluble natural amino acids as cryoprotectants. Phenylalanine showed excellent ice recrystallization inhibition activity, while methionine exhibited optimal depressing freezing point ability. Combining phenylalanine or methionine with osmolyte (proline) as cryoprotectants can maintain the normal morphology of sheep red blood cells with high recovery rates. This study demonstrates the potential of amino acid-based cryoprotectants and reveals the synergistic effect of ice recrystallization inhibition activity and osmotic pressure regulation in cryopreservation.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Article
Crystallography
Wentao Yang, Yucong Liao, Qi Shi, Zhaoru Sun
Summary: Antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) are powerful inhibitors of ice recrystallization and have been widely studied. However, there is still controversy about the molecular mechanism of how they inhibit ice growth, particularly the group responsible for binding AFGPs to ice. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the atomistic details of AFGP8 binding to ice. The results show that AFGP8 can bind to ice through backbone dominant binding, disaccharide dominant binding, and weak binding. Hydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic groups contribute equally to the binding and synergistically promote it. The work provides valuable insights into the ice growth inhibition mechanism of AFGP8, which can aid in the design of efficient cryoprotectants.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yong Chen, Satoshi Takeya, Amadeu K. Sum
Summary: This study reports the observation of a hidden clathrate structure, the tetragonal structure (TS-I), in gas hydrates. The TS-I forms as a cocrystal when two or more sI crystal grains with different growth directions come into contact or when the growth of an sI crystal encounters geometrical frustration. The results imply that TS-I may play an important role in the combination and/or transition between sI and sII.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aaron A. Burkey, Neda Ghousifam, Alexander V. Hillsley, Zachary W. Brotherton, Mahboobeh Rezaeeyazdi, Taylor A. Hatridge, Dale T. Harris, William W. Sprague, Brittany E. Sandoval, Adrianne M. Rosales, Marissa Nichole Rylander, Nathaniel A. Lynd
Summary: We developed a new class of highly tunable polyampholyte materials by modifying poly(allyl glycidyl ether) (PAGE), a functionalizable polyether with a poly(ethylene oxide) backbone. These polyampholytes have several advantageous properties, including low cytotoxicity and pH-responsive coacervate formation. In our study, we used PAGE-based polyampholytes (PAGE-PAs) as cryoprotectants for mammalian cell suspensions. The combination of PAGE-PAs and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in a cryoprotective solution showed promising post-thaw viabilities exceeding 70% and long-term metabolic activities comparable to unfrozen cells.
Article
Thermodynamics
Peixiang Bian, Fuxin Wang, Liping Wang, Weiliang Kong, Hong Liu
Summary: This paper observes the morphology and growth processes of ice on different near-thermal insulation surfaces at a low supercooling degree through microscope. The experimental results show that the contact angles of the ice tip on the substrates are obtuse and decrease with temperature. The analysis reveals that the surface property can affect substrate icing by altering the ice tip, leading to a slower growth rate.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chanseok Lee, Yedam Lee, Woo Hyuk Jung, Tae-Yeon Kim, Taehwi Kim, Do-Nyun Kim, Dong June Ahn
Summary: Self-assembled DNA origami nanostructures can serve as cryoprotectant agents, protecting cells from damage during freeze-thaw cycles. Functionalized DNA nanopatches improve cell viability and exhibit minimal dependence on cryopreservation period and conditions.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Qinmeng Luan, Jianglong Wang, Yan Huang, Daniel S. Balint, Jun Jiang
Summary: Deformation bands (DBs) have a significant impact on grain nucleation and grain growth, with nucleated grains near DBs having orientations and positions affected by DBs. The number of nucleated grains is strongly positively correlated with the area fraction of DBs, affecting the kinetics of grain growth in the deformed microstructure. These observations suggest that the RX process is controlled by the ensemble characteristics of DBs rather than the initial grain boundaries.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaoteng Zhou, Yuling Sun, Jie Liu
Summary: Understanding the formation of ice on surfaces from supercooled water is important for anti-icing surfaces. Factors like crystal lattice match, charge, and ions play a critical role in ice nucleation. Recent research on distinct ice growth patterns on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces provides insights for designing icephobic surfaces.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robbert J. de Haas, Roderick P. Tas, Danielle van den Broek, Chuanbao Zheng, Hannah Nguyen, Alex Kang, Asim K. Bera, Neil P. King, Ilja K. Voets, Renko de Vries
Summary: Attaining molecular level control over solidification processes is crucial for materials science. Reverse engineering using de novo computational protein design can help understand the structure-activity relationships of ice-binding proteins (IBPs). The study tested the hypothesis that an alpha-helical winter flounder antifreeze protein uses an unusual undertwisting to align its ice-binding threonine residues in the same direction. Results confirmed the hypothesis and suggest possibilities for the computational design of IBPs.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Salma Alasmar, Jez Huang, Karishma Chopra, Ewa Baumann, Amy Aylsworth, Melissa Hewitt, Jagdeep K. Sandhu, Joseph S. Tauskela, Robert N. Ben, Anna Jezierski
Summary: This study investigated the role of ice recrystallization inhibitors (IRIs) as cryoprotectants for iPSCs and iPSC-derived neurons (iPSC-Ns). The results showed that IRIs, specifically 2FA, increased the post-thaw viability and recovery of iPSCs without affecting pluripotency. Although 2FA supplementation did not significantly improve iPSC-N cell post-thaw viability, 2FA cryopreserved iPSC-Ns exhibited better restoration of neuronal network activity and synaptic function compared to controls. This study highlights the importance of optimizing cryopreservation media formulations with IRIs to improve functional cryopreservation of iPSCs and post-mitotic iPSC-Ns.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Benedict Davies, Martin Fitzner, Angelos Michaelides
Summary: This article introduces a model called IcePic, which utilizes deep learning methods to accurately predict nucleation ability on a broad range of substrates. By analyzing images generated from molecular dynamics simulations, IcePic can rapidly and accurately infer nucleation ability, eliminating the need for expensive simulations or direct experimental measurement.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
