Abstract
Trehalose has unique properties to protect biological material and cells against severe water stresses, including desiccation, freezing, high pressure and so on. To elucidate the functional mechanism of trehalose, it is necessary to investigate the interaction of this sugar with protein, membrane and other biologically important assemblies such as gel. Here we study the effect of trehalsoe on the swelling behavior of hydrogel such as agarose and carrageenan. Cylindrically-shaped gel samples are prepared in pure water and subsequently immersed in aqueous solution with different sugar concentration. The equilibrium volumes of the gel samples are found to decrease with an increase in sugar concentration. And the degree of such volume change is most remarkable in trehalose solution than in other disaccharides (maltose and sucrose) solutions. These findings are interpreted on the basis of a thermodynamic theory of gel swelling. In conclusion, trehalose provides larger influence on the swelling property of gel due to its higher hydration ability.
