How do lipid soluble local anesthetics work?
Local anesthetics work most commonly by blocking sodium channels in cells and blunting the ability of the cell to depolarize. Depolarization is necessary to have an action potential, which is the way nerves transmit messages. Local anesthetics must pass through a lipid membrane in order to work. The potency of a lipid soluble anesthetic is related to how lipid-soluble the chemical structure is.Mechanism of ActionMost local anesthetics bind to the voltage-gated sodium channels. Blocking sodium channels does not allow the cell to generate an action potential by making it less likely to depolarize a cell.Lipid SolubilityThe chemical structure of a lipid-soluble local anesthetic includes a lipophilic group. Lipophilia is a term that refers to the a favorable attraction of a chemical to lipids.Potency of Lipid-Soluble AnestheticsThe potency of lipid-soluble anesthetics relates to the ability of the molecule to penetrate the cell membrane. The lipid solubility increases with the absolute siz
