Potentiometric titrations have been performed for poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) in solution in the presence of different metals (Ca, Mg, Zn, and Cu) by titrating with KOH without additional salt. For the Me/PAA system, experimentally obtained apparent dissociation constants (pK a) appear to decrease in the initial part of the titration curve, which was found to be most pronounced in case of Cu. This was also found for the Cu/PMA system. For all systems studied, an increase in pK a was observed at higher degrees of dissociation. Analytical expressions for the change in apparent pK a upon ionization have been derived on the basis of counterion condensation theory taking into account both electrostatic and chemical binding of counterions of different valences. Taking also into account the effects of the flexibility of the polymer, the agreement between calculated and experimentally obtained data is certainly satisfying for the larger part of the titration curve. The agreement is completely lost by considering only electrostatic interactions between metal ions and the polyanions. An increase in chemical binding as indicated by a more negative value of the intrinsic reduced free energy of binding (g b) is observed in the order Mg ≈ Ca < Zn < Cu for both polyelectrolytes. The present approach allows us to quantify the contributions of the individual physicochemical processes related to the overall distribution of counterions around charged macromolecules.

Antimicrobial peptides form part of the immune system as protection against the action of external pathogens. The differences that exist between mammalian and microbial cell membrane architectures are key aspects of the ability of these peptides to discriminate between pathogens and host cells. Given that the pathogen membrane is the non-specific target of these cationic peptides, different molecular mechanisms have been suggested to describe the rules that permit them to distinguish between pathogens and mammalian cells. In this context, and setting aside the old fashion idea that cationic peptides act through one mechanism alone, this work will provide insight into the molecular action mechanism of small antimicrobial peptides, based on molecular dynamics simulations of phospholipid bilayers that mimic different cell membrane architectures. After measuring different properties of these lipid bilayers, in the absence and presence of peptides, a four-step action mechanism was suggested on the basis of the formation of phospholipid rafts induced by the presence of these cationic peptides. Thus, this work shows how differences in the bending modulus (k(b)) of these lipid rafts and differences in the free energy profiles (ΔG(z)) associated with the insertion of these peptides into these lipid rafts are key aspects for explaining the action mechanism of these cationic peptides at the molecular level.

The precise molecular mechanism of general anesthetics remains unknown. It is therefore important to understand where molecules with anesthetic properties localize within biological membranes. We have determined the free energy profile of a benzocaine molecule (BZC) across a biological membrane using molecular dynamics simulation. We use an asymmetric phospholipid bilayer with DPPS in one leaflet of a DPPC bilayer (Lopez Cascales et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 2358-2363) to model a biological bilayer. From the free energy profile, we predict the zone of actuation of a benzocaine is located in the hydrocarbon region or at the end of the lipid head, depending of the presence of charged lipids (DPPS) in the leaflet. We observe a moderate increase in the disorder of the membrane and in particular an increase in the disorder of DPPS. Static and dynamic physicochemical properties of the benzocaine, such as its dipole orientation, translational diffusion coefficient, and rotational relaxation time were measured.