Lidocaine turns the surface charge of biological membranes more positive and changes the permeability of blood-brain barrier culture models.
The surface charge of brain endothelial cells forming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is highly negative due to phospholipids in the plasma membrane and the glycocalyx. This negative charge is an important element of the defense systems of the BBB. Lidocaine, a cationic and lipophilic molecule which has anaesthetic and antiarrhytmic properties, exerts its actions by interacting with lipid membranes. Lidocaine when administered intravenously acts on vascular endothelial cells, but its direct effect on brain endothelial cells has not yet been studied. Our aim was to measure the effect of lidocaine on the charge of biological membranes and the barrier function of brain endothelial cells. We used the simplified membrane model, the bacteriorhodopsin (bR) containing purple membrane of Halobacterium salinarum and culture models of the BBB. We found that lidocaine turns the negative surface charge of purple membrane more positive and restores the function of the proton pump bR. Lidocaine also changed the zeta potential of brain endothelial cells in the same way. Short-term lidocaine treatment at a 10 μM therapeutically relevant concentration did not cause major BBB barrier dysfunction, substantial change in cell morphology or P-glycoprotein efflux pump inhibition. Lidocaine treatment decreased the flux of a cationic lipophilic molecule across the cell layer, but had no effect on the penetration of hydrophilic neutral or negatively charged markers. Our observations help to understand the biophysical background of the effect of lidocaine on biological membranes and draws the attention to the interaction of cationic drug molecules at the level of the BBB.
['Santa-Maria|Ana R|AR|', 'Walter|Fruzsina R|FR|', 'Valkai|Sándor|S|', 'Brás|Ana Rita|AR|', 'Mészáros|Mária|M|', 'Kincses|András|A|', 'Klepe|Adrián|A|', 'Gaspar|Diana|D|', 'Castanho|Miguel A R B|MARB|', 'Zimányi|László|L|', 'Dér|András|A|', 'Deli|Mária A|MA|']
D000818:Animals D001253:Astrocytes D001692:Biological Transport D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier D001921:Brain D002460:Cell Line D002462:Cell Membrane D042783:Endothelial Cells D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008012:Lidocaine D008297:Male D000078722:PC-3 Cells D010539:Permeability D051381:Rats D017208:Rats, Wistar
Lidocaine Surface charge Permeability Blood-brain barrier Brain endothelial cells Bacteriorhodopsin