title: Surface potential changes in lipid monolayers and the 'cut-off' in anaesthetic effects of N-alkanols.
abstract: The effects of 0.09 saturated solutions of the n-alkanols n-hexanol to n-tridecanol on the surface (compensation) potential of lipid monolayers have been examined. Actions on monolayers spread from pure egg phosphatidylcholine have been compared with effects on a system containing 2:1 mole ratio of egg phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol. The mean compensation potential for the pure phospholipid system was 475 +/- 9 mV; addition of cholesterol increased the potential to 503 +/- 10 mV. All n-alkanols tested reduced the surface potential in both systems. The reduction was larger in the pure phospholipid system but the difference in effect between lipid systems declined as the n-alkanol chainlength increased, becoming negligible by n-tridecanol. These results are considered in relation to the 'cut-off' in biological activity of n-alkanols around n-tridecanol.
mesh_terms: D000777:Anesthetics; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000502:physiology; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000441:Hexanols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008081:Liposomes; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics; D005233:Fatty Alcohols; D000441:Hexanols; D008081:Liposomes; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; C036260:1-hexanol; C051045:1-tridecanol; D002784:Cholesterol