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Published on: October 23, 2018
Isoflurane increases cell membrane fluidity significantly at clinical concentrations
Jigesh Patel1, Ekram A Chowdhury2, Behnam Noorani2
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, United States of America.
Anesthetic isoflurane significantly increases cell membrane fluidity at clinical concentrations. This effect was observed across diverse membrane models, indicating potential structural impacts.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Membrane Biophysics
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Anesthetic drugs, like isoflurane, are widely used.
- Their potential to induce structural changes in cell membranes at clinical concentrations remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of isoflurane on lipid membrane fluidity.
- To determine if isoflurane causes structural changes in cell membranes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized fluorescence anisotropy and spectroscopy to measure membrane fluidity.
- Examined four distinct membrane systems: erythrocyte ghosts, a brain endothelial cell membrane mimic, POPC/Chol, and pure DPPC.
Main Results:
- Isoflurane significantly decreased fluorescence anisotropies of DPH-PC, nile-red, and TMA-DPH in all tested systems at 1 mM and 5 mM.
- The excimer/monomer ratio of dipyrene-PC increased immediately upon isoflurane addition.
- Isoflurane effectively loosened ordered lipid domains, with 1 mM isoflurane showing a greater effect than high ethanol concentrations in erythrocyte ghosts.
Conclusions:
- Isoflurane at clinical concentrations causes a significant and immediate increase in membrane fluidity.
- These findings suggest isoflurane induces structural changes in cell membranes.
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