Effects of Procaine and Chlorpromazine on the Kinetics of Electropores in Red Blood Cell Membranes
Faculty Mentor Information
Daniel Fologea, Boise State University
Presentation Date
7-2025
Abstract
In this work we investigated the effects of drugs on membrane fluidity by employing electroporation and Red Blood Cells (RBCs) as a cell membrane model. We selected two drugs (Chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic, and Procaine, an anesthetic) and investigated the influence on the RBC membrane fluidity by comparison with the effects of the solubilizing detergent Triton x-100. Changes in membrane fluidity are known to adjust the kinetics of pore formation in cells subjected to strong external electric fields. Through optical absorption measurements, indicative of changes in cellular volume owing to the osmotic flow triggered by electroporation, we were able to observe different rates of cellular volume changes in environments with different drug concentrations. These investigations provide insight into the effects of drugs on the biophysical properties of cell membranes and into their potential to interfere with other key cellular functionalities.
Effects of Procaine and Chlorpromazine on the Kinetics of Electropores in Red Blood Cell Membranes
In this work we investigated the effects of drugs on membrane fluidity by employing electroporation and Red Blood Cells (RBCs) as a cell membrane model. We selected two drugs (Chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic, and Procaine, an anesthetic) and investigated the influence on the RBC membrane fluidity by comparison with the effects of the solubilizing detergent Triton x-100. Changes in membrane fluidity are known to adjust the kinetics of pore formation in cells subjected to strong external electric fields. Through optical absorption measurements, indicative of changes in cellular volume owing to the osmotic flow triggered by electroporation, we were able to observe different rates of cellular volume changes in environments with different drug concentrations. These investigations provide insight into the effects of drugs on the biophysical properties of cell membranes and into their potential to interfere with other key cellular functionalities.