title: Xenon and other volatile anesthetics change domain structure in model lipid raft membranes.
abstract: Inhalation anesthetics have been in clinical use for over 160 years, but the molecular mechanisms of action continue to be investigated. Direct interactions with ion channels received much attention after it was found that anesthetics do not change the structure of homogeneous model membranes. However, it was recently found that halothane, a prototypical anesthetic, changes domain structure of a binary lipid membrane. The noble gas xenon is an excellent anesthetic and provides a pivotal test of the generality of this finding, extended to ternary lipid raft mixtures. We report that xenon and conventional anesthetics change the domain equilibrium in two canonical ternary lipid raft mixtures. These findings demonstrate a membrane-mediated mechanism whereby inhalation anesthetics can affect the lipid environment of transmembrane proteins.
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weinrich
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Worcester
mesh_terms: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009502:Neutrons; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000187:drug effects; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D014965:X-Rays; D014978:Xenon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D014978:Xenon