Effects of carbohydrates on membrane stability at low water activities

The relative effectiveness of a variety of carbohydrates in preserving the structural and functional integrity of membranes at low water activities was studied, using Ca-transporting microsomes from muscle as a model membrane. The order of effectiveness (greatest to lowest) was: trehalose, lactose, maltose, cellobiose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, raffinose, myo-inositol, glycerol. At the highest concentrations of the most effective sugars tested, microsomes were obtained upon rehydration that were similar structurally and functionally to fresh membranes. The least effective carbohydrates, alcohol sugars, all appear to be fusogenic. A structural explanation for relative effectiveness of the sugars was sought, but no clear relationship was found, except that effectiveness does not appear to be related to the number of position of hydroxyl groups available for hydrogen bonding.