Study and analysis of L-methionine and L-cysteine complexes

Most investigations of speciation are carried out in aquatic environments, simulating circumstances seen in physiological systems. These are used as examples of the kinds of systems found in biofluids and water cycle. However, metabolic processes occur in highly compartmentalized environments and biological systems are linked to low dielectric mediums of varying strengths. To simulate these circumstances, some research has been conducted in aqua-organic mixtures, but little effort has been made to account for the compartmentalization. Accordingly, the distribution of species in surfactant media, where microporation is known to cause compartmentalization, was studied. In this regard, the protonation equilibria of L-methionine and L-cysteine, as well as their binary complexes with Ca(II), Mg(II), and Zn(II) in micellar fluids of various compositions, were investigated. In addition, computer-enhanced modeling was employed to reach the most appropriate chemical models and to assess the validity of these models.