Repair of membrane alterations induced in baby hamster kidney cells by polyene macrolide antibiotics.

We studied the correlation between chemical characteristics of 13 polyene macrolide antibiotics and the ability to repair the membrane permeability changes induced by polyenes in BHK-21 cells grown in shaker culture. It had been demonstrated that large-macrolide-ring polyenes with rigid molecules (heptaenes) induced specific membrane permeability pathways which were repaired by the eucaryotic cells under the proper conditions. The influence of environmental conditions on the repair process was examined. Aureofacin trimethylammonium methyl ester derivative was used as a selected representative of polyene macrolides inducing specific pathways. The factors influencing the repair process, monitored by measuring the ability of BHK-21 cells to control K+ membrane transport, were examined during and after cell contact with the antibiotic. We found that the repair process was dependent upon the temperature, the concentration of the antibiotic, time of its contact with cells, potassium concentration in the medium, and availability of an energy source. The repair process occurred in the presence of cycloheximide, which inhibited protein synthesis in BHK-21 cells. Results showed that the repair process plays an important role in mammalian cell recovery from the toxic effects of polyenes.