{"title":"Protonation constants of endo- and exogenous L-amino acids and their derivatives in aqueous and mixed solution: Unraveling molecular secrets.","authors":"Marek Pająk, Jakub Fichna, Magdalena Woźniczka","doi":"10.1017/S0033583524000118","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The aim of this review is to summarize the progress made in the determination of the protonation constants of biologically active ligands: endo- and exogenous L-amino acids and their derivatives in aqueous and mixed solutions using different experimental techniques. The knowledge of the protonation constants of the aforementioned ligands is crucial for the determination of the equilibrium constants of complex formation and thus for the understanding of complex biological reactions such as transamination, racemization, and decarboxylation. Thus, the protonation constants of ligands are a measure of their ability to form complexes with metal ions. This knowledge not only helps to understand fundamental biochemical processes, but also has practical applications in areas such as drug design, where ligands are often targeted for therapeutic purposes. The activity of the ligands tends to increase after complexation and their order is consistent with the values of the stepwise dissociation constants of the complexes formed. Understanding the properties of ligands by determining their protonation constants in different environments and their interactions with surrounding molecules is crucial to unraveling the complexity of biological systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":20828,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033583524000118","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOPHYSICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The aim of this review is to summarize the progress made in the determination of the protonation constants of biologically active ligands: endo- and exogenous L-amino acids and their derivatives in aqueous and mixed solutions using different experimental techniques. The knowledge of the protonation constants of the aforementioned ligands is crucial for the determination of the equilibrium constants of complex formation and thus for the understanding of complex biological reactions such as transamination, racemization, and decarboxylation. Thus, the protonation constants of ligands are a measure of their ability to form complexes with metal ions. This knowledge not only helps to understand fundamental biochemical processes, but also has practical applications in areas such as drug design, where ligands are often targeted for therapeutic purposes. The activity of the ligands tends to increase after complexation and their order is consistent with the values of the stepwise dissociation constants of the complexes formed. Understanding the properties of ligands by determining their protonation constants in different environments and their interactions with surrounding molecules is crucial to unraveling the complexity of biological systems.
期刊介绍:
Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics covers the field of experimental and computational biophysics. Experimental biophysics span across different physics-based measurements such as optical microscopy, super-resolution imaging, electron microscopy, X-ray and neutron diffraction, spectroscopy, calorimetry, thermodynamics and their integrated uses. Computational biophysics includes theory, simulations, bioinformatics and system analysis. These biophysical methodologies are used to discover the structure, function and physiology of biological systems in varying complexities from cells, organelles, membranes, protein-nucleic acid complexes, molecular machines to molecules. The majority of reviews published are invited from authors who have made significant contributions to the field, who give critical, readable and sometimes controversial accounts of recent progress and problems in their specialty. The journal has long-standing, worldwide reputation, demonstrated by its high ranking in the ISI Science Citation Index, as a forum for general and specialized communication between biophysicists working in different areas. Thematic issues are occasionally published.