TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of the anesthetics benzyl alcohol and chloroform on bilayers made from monolayers
AU - Reyes, J.
AU - Latorre, R.
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to acknowledge helpful discussions with Doctors J. Donovan, M. T. Tosteson, and S. Simon. We are also indebted to Dr. K. Miller and Dr. L. Braswell for stimulating discussions and help with the gas chromatography measurements. This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, GM-277 15.
PY - 1979
Y1 - 1979
N2 - The neutral anesthetics chloroform and benzyl alcohol, at concentrations that block the nerve impulse, greatly modify the transport parameters of positive and negative ions in lipid bilayers made from monolayers. Both chloroform and benzyl alcohol increase the membrane permeability to these ions and increase the translocation rate for tetraphenylborate. It was found that both anesthetics increase the membrane permeability to positive ions more markedly than to negative ions. It was also found that the membrane capacitance increases lineary with the concentration of benzyl alcohol. At 51 mM benzyl alcohol, the increase in capacitance is approximately 6%. Chloroform also increases the membrane capacitance; the increase in capacitance was found to be 6% at 18 mM chloroform. An analysis of the changes in the transport parameters of the lipophilic ions, together with the changes in membrane capacitance, suggests that benzyl alcohol and chloroform modify the dipole potential and dielectric constant of the membrane. Benzyl alcohol may also increase the "fluidity" of the lipid bilayer membranes. At 36 mM benzyl alcohol, the membrane permeability to acetamide increases by 38%.
AB - The neutral anesthetics chloroform and benzyl alcohol, at concentrations that block the nerve impulse, greatly modify the transport parameters of positive and negative ions in lipid bilayers made from monolayers. Both chloroform and benzyl alcohol increase the membrane permeability to these ions and increase the translocation rate for tetraphenylborate. It was found that both anesthetics increase the membrane permeability to positive ions more markedly than to negative ions. It was also found that the membrane capacitance increases lineary with the concentration of benzyl alcohol. At 51 mM benzyl alcohol, the increase in capacitance is approximately 6%. Chloroform also increases the membrane capacitance; the increase in capacitance was found to be 6% at 18 mM chloroform. An analysis of the changes in the transport parameters of the lipophilic ions, together with the changes in membrane capacitance, suggests that benzyl alcohol and chloroform modify the dipole potential and dielectric constant of the membrane. Benzyl alcohol may also increase the "fluidity" of the lipid bilayer membranes. At 36 mM benzyl alcohol, the membrane permeability to acetamide increases by 38%.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0018572237&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0006-3495(79)85175-9
DO - 10.1016/S0006-3495(79)85175-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 262550
AN - SCOPUS:0018572237
VL - 28
SP - 259
EP - 279
JO - Biophysical Journal
JF - Biophysical Journal
SN - 0006-3495
IS - 2
ER -