Common Source of Cryoprotection and Osmoprotection by Osmolytes

While recent studies clarify the effect of osmolytes on Coulomb interaction at elevated concentrations of salt, little is known about the way osmolytes affect the same interaction in cryoprotection. In this Communication we explore the effect of cold on the interaction between two charged surfaces immersed in ternary solution containing salt and osmolyte and find that the effect of cold parallels that of excess salt, i.e., low temperatures increase adsorption of salt counterions to the surface, thus neutralizing it. Two osmolytes, proline and glycine-betaine, are then shown to recharge the surface by releasing the adsorbed counterions. The ability to counteract effects of both cold and excess salt on Coulomb interactions renders these known osmolytes cryoprotectants as well as osmoprotectants, explaining why plants, fish, insects and bacteria accumulate them in response to either drought or cold stress.