Membrane Hydration : Crowding, Signal Propagation, and Biological Functions

This second edition provides a detailed overview of the properties of water in restricted systems and its essential role in biological responses. It examines the structure and properties of water in crowded molecular environments, exploring hydrogen bonding and the dynamics of water in confined spaces such as biomembranes. The main topics include the analysis of the distribution of water populations at the membrane of different composition introducing and discussing the difference between interfaces and interphases on thermodynamic backgrounds. The emergent thermodynamic and dynamic picture arising from these arrangements, the configuration of specific regions, such domains and defects, that may catalyze the binding of biologically relevant compounds, and the role of water in signal propagation are relevant topics in this edition. Within this approach, the impact of cholesterol on the structuring of water in membranes, followed by advancd spectroscopic methodologies and molecular dynamics is also highlighted. Finally, the book examines the thermodynamic contributions of water to nerve impulses and the importance of hydrogen bonds in complex environments challenging the classical models of membranes. Bringing together experimental, computational, and theoretical perspectives, this book is an invaluable resource for understanding and evaluating how the properties of water shape essential biological functions, offering new insights for biophysicists and chemists interested in the molecular basis of life.