生物液晶

液晶是一种介于液相和固相之间的中间相，具有流动性和有序性，其性质表明它是一种极适于生命特征的状态。生命体中的蛋白质、核酸、多糖、脂类等都能够通过自组装而呈现液晶态，其液晶行为与细胞和组织功能的表达有关。本文介绍了液晶的分类、表征方法及生命体内的蛋白质、脱氧核糖核酸、多糖、脂类的液晶特性以及液晶态的生物材料与细胞的相互作用。

Liquid Crystalline Biomacromolecules

A liquid crystal is a mesomorphic state between crystalline state and liquid state, in which directional order appears spontaneously in a homogeneous liquid. The supramolecular self-assembly processes of hving biological tissues are analogues to liquid crystalline flowing. Major classes of biomolecules including proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids all have been found to exist in various liquid crystalline phases in vivo as well as in vitro under well-defined conditions. Their liquid crystalline states are envisaged to have very important roles in their self-assembly processes and biological functional expressions. In order to get a better insight into biological processes at supramolecular level, it is important to understand the properties of liquid crystals. A brief introduction to liquid crystalline Biomacromolecules e.g. protein, DNA, polysaccharides, lipids etc. and interactions between biomaterials and cells were reviewed in the paper.