Mapping the Structure-Function Relationships of the Tear Film Lipid Layer by Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction on its Central Lipid Specie

We apply for 18 shifts at ID10-EH1 to conduct grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) and reflectivity (XRR) experiments on Langmuir films of tear film lipids. These relate to the tear film lipid layer (TFLL) which covers the tear film at the ocular surface. Its function is poorly understood due to open questions on the molecular level organization and structure. These can be answered by studying the self-assembly of monolayers of selected TFLL lipids on an aqueous interface. Our unique lipid library containing representatives from the major TFLL lipid classes is well suited for this task. In a preselection process we have studied the surface potential and pressure profiles of different species and selected the most promising ones for GIXD and XRR studies. The ID10-EH1 is specialized for the surface studies enabling thus generation of ground-breaking scientific results. The results play a role in combating ocular surface diseases, which constitute a severe global societal burden.

我们申请在ID10-EH1实验站使用18个班次，以开展泪膜脂质Langmuir膜的掠入射X射线衍射（Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, GIXD）与反射率（reflectivity, XRR）实验。这些实验与覆盖于眼表泪膜之上的泪膜脂质层（tear film lipid layer, TFLL）相关。由于其分子水平的组织与结构仍存在未解决的问题，TFLL的功能尚未被充分理解。通过研究选定TFLL脂质在水界面上单分子层的自组装行为，可解答上述问题。我们构建的独特脂质库涵盖了主要TFLL脂质类别的代表性分子，非常适合此项研究。在预选阶段，我们已分析了不同脂质物种的表面电位与压力分布特征，并筛选出最具研究前景的分子用于后续GIXD与XRR实验。ID10-EH1实验站专为表面科学研究设计，能够助力产生突破性的科学成果。这些成果将为眼表疾病的防治提供重要依据——眼表疾病目前已构成严重的全球社会负担。