ScholarWorks@성균관대학교

초록

As an eco-friendly polyol, 2,3-butanediol (BDO) exhibits high solvation efficiency against organic crystalline molecules (OCMs). However, no study has been able to identify a reason for such strong solvation capability. This study presents experimental and modeling approaches to understand the superior solvation ability of 2,3-BDO for OCMs. For this, we selected Ceramide-NP (phytosphingosine backbone N-acylated with saturated stearic acid) as an OCM, since it forms molecular crystals very easily in aqueous phase, which limits its diverse use for enhancing skin barrier function. By comparing the solubility efficiencies of polyols and BDOs, we showed that 2,3-BDO exhibited substantial solvation power for Ceramide-NP, regardless of the similarity of solubility parameters to polyols. From the MD simulations, we figured out that taking advantage of the hydroxy group configuration, 2,3-BDO was more preferentially associated with Ceramide-NP, thereby sterically hindering the hydrophobic interaction between them. Finally, we demonstrated that the configurational contribution of 2,3-BDO played an essential role in leading to the strong molecular binding with Ceramide-NP, thereby resulting in such notable solvency. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

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