Single-Molecule and Super-Resolution Diffusion Quantification Unveils Reversible Enhancement of Lipid-Membrane Diffusivity by General Anesthetics.

ABSTRACT: The molecular mechanism of general anesthesia remains a mystery. While many small molecules, ranging from xenon to diethyl ether, act as general anesthetics, few similarities exist in their chemical structures or properties. Utilizing single-molecule displacement/diffusivity mapping (SMdM), a diffusion-quantifying single-molecule and super-resolution microscopy tool, we unveil that at clinical concentrations, general anesthetics rapidly and reversibly enhance the lateral diffusivity of both model lipid bilayers and live-cell plasma membranes in a dose-dependent fashion based on the anesthetic potency. With in situ fluorescence microscopy, we next show that the partitioning of anesthetics into the lipid bilayer causes fast dilation and area expansion. Employing a liposome-base

SUBMITTER: Jepson T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12659419 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature