Effects of dimyristoylphosphatidylethanol and ethanol on thickness of neuronal membrane lipid bilayers

The aim of this study was to provide a basis for examining the molecular mechanism for the pharmacological action of ethanol. Energy transfer between the surface fluorescent probe 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid and hydrophobic fluorescent probe 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl)propane was used to examine the effect of both dimyristoylphosphatidylethanol (DMPEt) and ethanol on the thickness (D) of the synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMV) isolated from the bovine cerebral cortex. The thickness (D) of the intact SPMV was 1.044 ± 0.008 (arbitrary units, n=5) at 37°C (pH 7.4). Both DMPEt and ethanol decreased the thickness of the SPMV lipid bilayer in a dose-dependent manner with a significant decrease in thickness observed at 5 µM and 25 mM, respectively. It was assumed that both ethanol and DMPEt cause interdigitation in the SPMV lipid bilayers. The effects of ethanol on the neuronal membranes were attributed to its direct and indirect actions. The indirect action of ethanol refers to the action of phosphatidylethanol, which is an ethanol abnormal metabolite, on the neuronal membranes. The decrease in membrane thickness by both DMPEt and ethanol might be responsible for some, but not all of its anesthetic actions.