Abstract

The actions of the tertiary local anesthetic bupivacaine were studied on the nicotinic receptor-ionic channel complex (AChR) using electrophysiological and biochemical methods. Voltage clamp studies of the frog sartorius and cutaneous pectoris neuromuscular junction revealed a concentration-dependent depression of the decay time constant of the end-plate (tau EPC) and spontaneous miniature end-plate (tau MEPC) currents. The relationship of the reciprocal of either tau EPC or tau MEPC and bupivacaine concentration up to 100 microM was linear. Voltage dependence of EPC over the range +60 to -150 mV was reduced, whereas both EPC and MEPC decays were adequately described by a single exponential function at all concentrations tested. Peak MEPC and EPC amplitudes were also depressed in a concentration-dependent manner such that 100 microM bupivacaine reduced peak amplitude by about 50%. The current-voltage relationship remained linear under all conditions tested. Nerve-evoked responses were difficult to study at concentrations greater than 100 microM because of apparent blockade of nerve conduction. Extracellular recording of the MEPC afforded results similar to those obtained with EPCs. The tau MEPC could be reduced to less than 300 mu sec at a bupivacaine concentration of 400 microM. Fluctuation analysis showed that bupivacaine at concentrations of 10 and 25 microM did not change channel conductance but decreased single-channel lifetime to 76% and 39% of control values, respectively. Biochemical studies were performed on Torpedo californica membrane fragments using [3H]phencyclidine ([3H]PCP) and [3H]perhydrohistrionicotoxin ([3H]H12-HTX) as channel probes. Bupivacaine inhibited the binding of [3H]PCP and [3H]H12-HTX with inhibition constants (Ki) of 32 and 25 microM, respectively. The corresponding inhibition constants for bupivacaine methiodide were 1.8 and 3.2 microM. The preincubation of the membranes with carbamylcholine increased the affinity of bupivacaine for the ionic channel sites 5- to 8-fold and the affinity of bupivacaine methiodide 3- to 4-fold. Bupivacaine, however, had no affinity for the agonist recognition site as determined by [3H]ACh and [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin bindings. The electrophysiological and biochemical studies indicate that bupivacaine reacts primarily with the ionic channel of the nicotinic AChR. The results are consistent with a sequential model in which the drug interacts with the sites at the ionic channel of AChR in its open conformation, producing species with little or no conductance. From the present studies there is no evidence for an interaction of bupivacaine with the agonist binding site or closed states of AChR.