title: Acetylcholine receptor channel properties are modified by benzyl alcohol.
abstract: The effect of the general anaesthetic, benzyl alcohol, on the nicotinic cholinergic receptor (AChR) was evaluated at the single channel level using the patch-clamp technique. Benzyl alcohol decreases both the conductance (about 2-fold with 40 mM benzyl alcohol) and the mean open time (about 2.5-fold) of the AChR channels. When modified channels are activated by high ACh concentrations, groups of brief channel openings are observed. Each group is in turn composed of a higher number of openings than in non-treated receptors. Similar modifications are observed when benzyl alcohol is applied from the cytoplasmic side of the membrane, suggesting that the general anaesthetic interacts with a nonspecific site, possibly the lipid-protein interface.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquimicas, CONICET, Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouzat
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Barrantes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019905:Benzyl Alcohol; D001592:Benzyl Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects*; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D009132:Muscles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000187:drug effects*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D001592:Benzyl Alcohols; D007473:Ion Channels; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D019905:Benzyl Alcohol