Membrane stabilizing effects involve the inhibition or total abolishing of
action potentials from being propagated across the membrane. This phenomenon is common in nerve tissues as they are the carrier of impulses from the periphery to the
central nervous system. Membrane stabilization is the method through which
local anesthetics work. They block the propagation of action potentials across the nerve cell thereby producing a nerve block. Some
beta-blockers also possess what is referred to as membrane stabilizing activity (MSA). This effect is similar to the membrane stabilizing activity of
sodium channel blockers that represent
Class I antiarrhythmics.