L-carnosine is the left-handed version of the supplement-the kind used by the human body. A new method can quickly spot variations from the correct composition and structure for supplements like L-carnosine. Credit: Wonjin Choi, Kotov Lab
L-carnosine is the left-handed version of the supplement-the kind used by the human body. A new method can quickly spot variations from the correct composition and structure for supplements like L-carnosine. Credit: Wonjin Choi, Kotov Lab - Terahertz light creates twisting vibrations in biomolecules such as proteins, confirming whether their compositions and structures are safe and effective. It's not easy to be sure that drugs and supplements with twisted-or chiral-structures are turning in the correct direction. Now, twirling infrared light can probe both the structures of molecular crystals and their twists, research led by the University of Michigan has shown. The researchers hope that the technique could also help diagnose harmful accumulations of twisted molecules in the body, including bladder stones, insulin fibrils and amyloid aggregations such as the plaques that appear in Alzheimer's disease. In a world of curled molecules, biology often favors rightor left-handed versions.
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