Molecular actions of pentobarbital isomers on sodium channels from human brain cortex

New planar lipid bilayer technology enabled the pharmacologic study of single sodium channels from human brain, overcoming the limitations of tissue availability and the rapid loss of protein function in conventional experimental preparations. Synaptosomal vesicles prepared from human brain cortical tissue were fused with planar lipid bilayers. In the presence of batrachotoxin, sodium channels were incorporated into lipid bilayers and their single-channel properties studied. Pentobarbital was found to depress two major functions of the sodium channel, leading to a voltage-independent reduction of the fractional channel open-time (ED50 0.61-0.75 mM) and an interaction with the voltage-dependent steady-state activation. The steady-state activation curve was shifted to more negative potentials and had a reduced slope, i.e., negative membrane potentials became less effective at closing sodium channels. The results were consistent with a pentobarbital-induced increase in protein flexibility. The actions of the two optical stereoisomers of pentobarbital showed no significant differences, indicating that other ion channels must also be involved in the clinical actions of barbiturates. The pentobarbital effects on sodium channels occurred at concentrations thought to be relevant in general anesthesia and within the clinical range. This suggests that sodium channels could contribute to overall anesthetic depression, supporting our hypothesis that anesthesia results from the superposition and integration of several anesthetic actions at the molecular level.