Palmitic acid induces the opening of a Ca2+-dependent pore in the plasma membrane of red blood cells: the possible role of the pore in erythrocyte lysis.

Earlier we found that in the presence of Ca(2+) palmitic acid (Pal) increases the nonspecific permeability of artificial (planar and liposomal) membranes and causes permeabilization of the inner mitochondrial membrane. An assumption was made that the mechanism of Pal/Ca(2+)-induced membrane permeabilization relates to the Ca(2+)-induced phase separation of Pal and can be considered as formation of fast-tightening lipid pores due to chemotropic phase transition in the lipid bilayer. In this article, we continue studying this pore. We have found that Pal plus Ca(2+) permeabilize the plasma membrane of red blood cells in a dose-dependent manner. The same picture has been revealed for stearic acid (20 μM) but not for myristic and linoleic acids. The Pal-induced permeabilization of erythrocytic membranes can also occur in the presence of Ba(2+) and Mn(2+) (200 μM), but other bivalent cations (200 μM Mg(2+), Sr(2+), Ni(2+), Co(2+)) are relatively ineffective. The formation of Pal/Ca(2+)-induced pores in the erythrocytic membranes has been found to result in the destruction of cells.