Partition equilibrium of inhalation anesthetics and alcohols between water and membranes of phospholipids with varying acyl chain-lengths.

From the depression of the phase-transition temperature of phospholipid membranes, the partition coefficients of inhalation anesthetics (methoxyflurane, halothane, enflurane, chloroform and diethyl ether) and alcohols (benzyl alcohol and homologous n-alcohols up to C = 7) between phospholipid vesicle membranes and water were determined. The phospholipids used were dimyristoyl-, dipalmitoyl- and distearoylphosphatidylcholines. It was found that the difference in the acyl chain length of the three phospholipids did not affect the partition coefficients of the inhalation anesthetics and benzyl alcohol. The actions of these drugs are apparently directed mainly to the interfacial region. In contrast, n-alcohols tend to bind more tightly to the phospholipid vesicles with longer acyl chains. The absolute values of the transfer free energies of n-alcohols increased with the increase of the length of the alkyl chain of the alcohols. The increment was 3.43 kJ per each carbon atom. The numerical values of the partition coefficients are not identical when different expressions for solute concentrations (mole fraction, molality and molarity) are employed. The conversion factors among these values were estimated from the molecular weights and the partial molal volumes of the phospholipids in aqueous solution determined by oscillation densimetry.