We demonstrate in this paper that bupivacaine, a local anesthetic, can act alone as an uncoupler of rat liver mitochondria.It stimulates state 4 respiration, induces a swelling in potassium acetate (in the presence of valinomycin), and collapses the transmembrane potential. Lidocaine, another local anesthetic, requires the presence of a lipophilic anion such as TPB-to produce the same effects. TPB-can also reinforce the action of bupivacaine. These differences in action of the two local anesthetics can be explained by the difference in their hposolubility.
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