Differential effects of tricyclic antidepressant drugs on membrane dynamics--a fluorescence spectroscopic study

The effect of tricyclic antidepressant drugs amitriptyline, nortriptyline, imipramine and desipramine on synaptosomal membrane and lipid bilayer was studied using steady state and time dependent fluorescence spectroscopy of lipid specific fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH). The synaptosomal membrane was prepared from rat brain while liposomes were prepared from dimyristoyl phosphatidyl choline (DMPC) alone and a mixture of DMPC and cholesterol. Upon treatment with amitriptyline and nortriptyline a decrease was observed in the steady state anisotropy of DPH in DMPC liposomes as well as in rat brain synaptosomes. On the other hand, imipramine and desipramine did not cause any significant change. Amitriptyline and nortriptyline also decreased the steady state anisotropy of DPH in liposomes prepared from a mixture of DMPC and cholesterol. Fluorescence decay time and time dependent anisotropy of DPH in both the membranes were measured and the decay of anisotropy was analyzed using wobbling in cone model. Amitriptyline and nortriptyline treatment decreased the limiting anisotropy and order parameter, while the cone angle increased. Imipramine and desipramine did not cause significant change in these parameters. In addition to structural alterations, these drugs inhibited the activity of Na+-K+-ATPase in synaptosomal membrane, however, the decrease was more in case of amitriptyline and nortriptyline as compared to imipramine and desipramine. Our results suggest that the perturbation in membrane order caused by antidepressant drugs could depend on the net charge on the drug molecule.