α, α-trehalose-water solutions VI. A view of the structural and dynamical properties of OβG micelles in the presence of trehalose

The protective effect of trehalose on biological membranes against freezing or dehydration has been the subject of many studies aimed at understanding the reasons of the effectiveness of this disaccharide under environmental stress conditions, and the trehalose−water interaction mechanisms. This work reports on the results of a study on the octyl-β-glucoside/trehalose/water ternary solution, performed by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering and Photon Correlation Spectroscopy, to show the effect of the presence of trehalose on the dynamical and conformational properties of the octyl-β-glucoside (OβG) micelles. The evolution of the micelles' size and shape, as well as of the hydrodynamic radius with the increase of trehalose amount have been determined using these techniques. The data suggest that the trehalose−water interaction is preferred in the investigated concentration range.