The pore-forming activities of cyclic lipodepsipeptides (CLPs), syringopeptin 22A (SP22A) and syringomycin E (SRE) were compared on the human red blood cell (RBC) membrane and on bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs). SP22A above a concentration of 4 x 10(5) molecules/cell significantly increased the RBC membrane permeability for 86Rb. With electric current measurements on BLM, it was proved that like SRE, the SP22A formed two types of ion channels in the membrane, small and large, the latter having six times larger conductance and longer dwell time. Both CLPs formed clusters consisting of six small channels, and the channel-forming activity of SP22A is about one order of magnitude higher than that of SRE. A Hill coefficient of 2-3 estimated from the concentration dependence of these CLPs-induced lysis gave a proof of the pore oligomerization on RBCs. Transport kinetic data also confirmed that SP22A pores were oligomers of at least three monomers. While SRE pores were inactivated in time, no pore inactivation was observed with SP22A. The 86Rb efflux through SP22A-treated RBCs approached the tracer equilibrium distribution with a constant rate; a constant integral current was measured on the BLM for as long as 2.5 h as well. The partition coefficient (Kp = 2 x 10(4) l/mol) between the RBC membrane and the extracellular space was estimated for SRE to be at least six times higher than that for SP22A. This finding suggested that the higher ion permeability of the SP22A-treated cells compared to that of SRE was the result of the higher pore-forming activity of SP22A.