The study of volt-ampere characteristics of ionic channels formed by gramicidin A

A method of measurement of the non-linearity coefficient of volt-ampere characteristics of the type i(U) approximately = U(1 + beta U2) has been developed for ionic channels formed by gramicidin A, using the third harmonic of the membrane current. The shape of the volt-ampere characteristics (VA) of ionic channels formed by gramicidin A did not depend on the antibiotic concentration in the membrane. The coefficient beta of non-linearity of VA of membranes modified by gramicidin A depended on electrolyte concentration "c" and it increased proportionally with the lg c from -17 V-2 at 0.03 mol/l KC1 to 8 V-2 at 3.4 mol/l KCl, and it was zero at co = 0.3 - 1 mol/l KCl. Egg lecithin and glycerol monooleate (GMO) membranes differ in their co values. The substitution of K+ for Li+ of the membrane solvent (n-heptane for n-hexadecane) did not influence the value of beta; the same applied for GMO membranes without any solvent. In a number of membranes, spontaneous change of the non-linearity coefficient with time observed after the membrane formation, as well as jumps of the non-linearity coefficient at a practically unchanged membrane conductivity. An analysis of some theoretical models of the ion transport through the channel has shown that, at voltages above 200 mV, these models provide rather small values of beta, or extremely high VA non-linearity.