Comparative Conformational Analysis of Acyclic Sugar Alcohols Ribitol, Xylitol and d-Arabitol by Solution NMR and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Ribitol (C5H12O5) is an acyclic sugar alcohol that was recently identified in O-mannose glycan on mammalian alpha-dystroglycan. The conformation and dynamics of acyclic sugar alcohols such as ribitol are dependent on the stereochemistry of the hydroxyl groups; however, the dynamics are not fully understood. To gain insights into the conformation and dynamics of sugar alcohols, we carried out comparative analyses of ribitol, d-arabitol and xylitol by a crystal structure database search, solution NMR analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The crystal structures of the sugar alcohols showed a limited number of conformations, suggesting that only certain stable conformations are prevalent among all possible conformations. The three-bond scholar coupling constants and exchange rates of hydroxyl protons were measured to obtain information on the backbone torsion angle and possible hydrogen bonding of each hydroxyl group. The 100 ns MD simulations indicate that the ribitol backbone has frequent conformational transitions with torsion angles between 180 degrees and +/- 60 degrees, while d-arabitol and xylitol showed fewer conformational transitions. Taking our experimental and computational data together, it can be concluded that ribitol is more flexible than d-arabitol or xylitol, and the flexibility is at least in part defined by the configuration of the OH groups, which may form intramolecular hydrogen bonds.