Endotoxin reduces availability of voltage-gated human skeletal muscle sodium channels at depolarized membrane potentials.
OBJECTIVE
Critical illness myopathy is a common cause for difficulties in weaning from the respirator and prolonged rehabilitation of patients recovering from sepsis. Several studies have shown that the primary cause of acute generalized muscle weakness is loss of muscle membrane excitability. This study was designed to investigate a potential direct interaction of lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia coli with voltage-gated human skeletal muscle sodium channels (NaV1.4) in vitro.


METHODS
In vitro laboratory investigation.


METHODS
University laboratory.


METHODS
NaV1.4 sodium channel alpha-subunits stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells.


METHODS
We investigated the effect of lipopolysaccharide on voltage-dependent sodium channel gating by using two distinct modes of application: 1) acute perfusion (pharmacologic lipopolysaccharide concentrations between 5 ng/mL and 50 microg/mL) in order to establish a concentration-effect relationship; and 2) incubation with a clinically relevant concentration of lipopolysaccharide (300 pg/mL).


RESULTS
Lipopolysaccharide did not alter the kinetics of sodium current activation or inactivation when depolarizations were started from hyperpolarized holding potentials. However, when either fast or slow inactivation was induced by membrane depolarization before the test pulse, lipopolysaccharide reversibly reduced channel availability during the test pulse at concentrations of > or = 50 ng/mL revealed by a maximum hyperpolarizing shift of -25 mV in the voltage dependence of fast and slow inactivation, respectively. Incubation with a lipopolysaccharide concentration of 300 pg/mL for 1 hr reproduced the effects on slow but not on fast inactivation. After 20 hrs of low-dose lipopolysaccharide, the peak sodium current was significantly reduced.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that lipopolysaccharide interacts with voltage-gated sodium channels, reducing channel availability at depolarized membrane potentials during acute application, independent of the membrane potential after chronic exposure. These effects may contribute to reduced muscle membrane excitability in sepsis.
Haeseler
Gertrud
G
Department of Anesthesiology, Hannover Medical School, Germany. Haeseler.Gertrud@MH-Hannover.de
Foadi
Nilufar
N
Wiegand
Elena
E
Ahrens
Jörg
J
Krampfl
Klaus
K
Dengler
Reinhard
R
Leuwer
Martin
M
D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000187:drug effects*; D014162:Transfection
D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D015222:Sodium Channels; C482199:lipopolysaccharide, E coli O55-B5