Halothane effects on human malignant hyperthermia skeletal muscle single calcium-release channels in planar lipid bilayers

Abstract

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) may be life-threatening when genetically predisposed individuals are administered triggering anesthetic agents that are believed to produce intracellular calcium release. To test this theory, the effects of halothane on normal and MH human skeletal muscle calcium- release channels were studied. Single calcium-release channels were incorporated from isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane vesicles into a planar lipid bilayer, and halothane effects on the conductance and gating properties were measured by electrophysiologic techniques. Among the subjects studied, seven were MH-susceptible, and 13 channels were recorded from this group. Five subjects were negative for MH, and 10 channels were recorded from this group. Among the 13 channels recorded from the MH group, 7 were affected by halothane, which increased the probability of the channel to change from the inactive, closed state to an open state. This effect of halothane to increase open-state probability was associated with an overall increase in channel conductance. Thus, halothane affected the activation/inactivation process of the halothane-sensitive calcium-release channel from MH muscle as well as the gating properties of the MH calcium-release channel, as evidenced by the increased conductance. In 6 of the 13 channels recorded from MH muscle, halothane (2.2-17.6 μM) was without effect on these properties of the channel. Halothane (2.2-17.6 μM or 0.0057-0.0456 vol%) also had no measurable effect on the 10 channels from the negatively diagnosed subjects. Results of this study support a defect in the ryanodine-sensitive calcium- release channel from MH human muscle. Affected subjects may also synthesize normally functional channels, and in three of the seven MH subjects (5 channels recorded) no halothane-sensitive channels were observed, suggesting the possibility of some other MH-predisposing defect in these subjects.