Temperature dependence of the microwave dielectric properties of $$\gamma$$-aminobutyric acid

Abstract

The GABA molecule is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. Through binding to post-synaptic neurons, GABA reduces the neuronal excitability by hyperpolarization. Correct binding between the GABA molecules and its receptors relies on molecular recognition. Earlier studies suggest that recognition is determined by the geometries of the molecule and its receptor. We employed dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) to study the conformation and dielectric properties of the GABA molecule under physiologically relevant laboratory conditions. The dielectric properties of GABA investigated have given us new insights about the GABA molecule, such as how they interact with each other and with water molecules at different temperatures (22°C and 37.5°C). Higher temperature leads to lower viscosity, thus lower relaxation time. The change in the GABA relaxation time due to concentration change is more associated with the solution viscosity than with the GABA dipole moment. A resonance behavior was observed with high GABA concentrations at physiological temperature, where there might be a phase transition at a certain temperature for a given GABA concentration that leads to a sudden change of the dielectric properties.

Water‐based Supercapacitors with Amino Acid Electrolytes: A Green Perspective for Capacitance Enhancement

“…Excellent candidates are GABA, taurine and carnitine, which are cheap and widely available dietary supplements with a huge e r . [52] These amino acid derivatives with no side chain are expected to fit better in the micropores of advanced active materials, improving diffusion process of the amino acid investigated herein. As a secondary choice, glycine and trimethyl glycine betaine still have large e r and satisfactory solubility in water and are smaller than L-lysine and L-proline.…”