d-tubocurarine acts as a muscle relaxant through nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.
d-tubocurarine acts as a muscle relaxant through nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.
how does d-tubocurarine act as a muscle relaxant?
nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
because of the shortcomings of tubocurare, much research effort was undertaken soon after its clinical introduction to find a suitable replacement. the efforts unleashed a multitude of compounds borne from structure-activity relations developed from the tubocurare molecule. some key compounds that have seen clinical use are identified in the muscle relaxants template box below. of the many tried as replacements, only a few enjoyed as much popularity as tubocurarine: pancuronium, vecuronium, rocuronium, atracurium, and cisatracurium. succinylcholine is a widely used muscle relaxant drug which acts by activating, instead of blocking, the ach receptor.
tubocurarine chloride
the earliest known use of muscle relaxant drugs was by natives of the amazon basin in south america who used poison-tipped arrows that produced death by skeletal muscle paralysis. this was first documented in the 16th century, when european explorers encountered it. this poison, known today as curare, led to some of the earliest scientific studies in pharmacology. its active ingredient, tubocurarine, as well as many synthetic derivatives, played a significant role in scientific experiments to determine the function of acetylcholine in neuromuscular transmission. by 1943, neuromuscular blocking drugs became established as muscle relaxants in the practice of anesthesia and surgery.
muscle relaxant