tubocurarine
Quick Summary
Tubocurarine is a toxic alkaloid derived from South American plants, primarily Chondrodendron tomentosum. It is the main active component of curare, a substance historically used as an arrow poison and now utilized in medicine as a skeletal muscle relaxant. Tubocurarine functions by blocking the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, preventing muscle contraction. This action is crucial in surgeries, particularly those of the chest and abdomen, where it aids in anesthesia by relaxing muscles. While effective, tubocurarine can cause a drop in blood pressure and has largely been superseded by newer curare-like drugs. Its effects can be reversed with anticholinesterase medications.12
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- alkaloid
The alkaloid tubocurarine is the active ingredient in the South American arrow poison, curare (obtained from Chondrodendron tomentosum), and is used as a muscle relaxant in surgery. Two alkaloids, vincristine and vinblastine (from Catharanthus roseus, formerly Vinca rosea), are widely used as chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment…
Read MoreThe alkaloid tubocurarine is the active ingredient in the South American arrow poison, curare (obtained from Chondrodendron tomentosum), and is used as a muscle relaxant in surgery. Two alkaloids, vincristine and vinblastine (from Catharanthus roseus, formerly Vinca rosea), are widely used as chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment…
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curare…action of curare preparations is tubocurarine, first isolated from tube curare in 1897 and obtained in crystalline form in 1935. Tubocurarine chloride (as d-tubocurarine chloride), isolated from the bark and stems of the South American vine Chondrodendron tomentosum, was the form initially used in medicine. It was first used for…
Read More…action of curare preparations is tubocurarine, first isolated from tube curare in 1897 and obtained in crystalline form in 1935. Tubocurarine chloride (as d-tubocurarine chloride), isolated from the bark and stems of the South American vine Chondrodendron tomentosum, was the form initially used in medicine. It was first used for…
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