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Interactions of volatile anesthetics with the central nervous system are characterized by low yet specific binding affinities. Although neurotransmitter-gated ion channels are considered the primary anesthetic targets, the mechanism of action at the molecular level remains elusive. We consider here the theoretical implications of channel dynamics on anesthetic action in a simplified membrane-channel system. Large-scale 2.2-ns all-atom molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the effects of halothane, a clinical anesthetic, on a gramicidin A (gA) channel in a fully hydrated dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine membrane. In agreement with experimental results, anesthetics preferentially target the anchoring residues at the channel-lipid-water interface. Although the anesthetic effect on channel structure is minimal, the presence of halothane profoundly affects channel dynamics. For 2.2-ns simulation, the rms fluctuation of gA backbone in the lipid core increases from approximately equal 1 A in the absence of anesthetics to approximately equal 1.5 A in the presence of halothane. Autocorrelation analysis reveals that halothane (i) has no effect on the subpicosecond librational motion, (ii) prolongs the backbone autocorrelation time in the 10- to 100-ps time scale, and (iii) significantly decreases the asymptotic values of generalized order parameter and correlation time of nanosecond motions for the inner but not the outer residues. The simulation results discount the viewpoint of a structure-function paradigm that overrates the importance of structural fitting between general anesthetics and yet-unidentified hydrophobic protein pockets. Instead, the results underscore the global, as opposed to local, effects of anesthetics on protein dynamics as the underlying mechanisms for the action of general anesthetics and possibly of other low-affinity drugs.

proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america

Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of general anesthetic effects on the ion channel in the fully hydrated membrane: The implication of molecular mechanisms of general anesthesia