Curare

Curare refers to the alkaloid containing substance obtained from one of several plants, the purified products of which are used as skeletal muscle relaxants. Curare has been superseded by a number of Curare-like agents that have a similar pharmacodynamic profile but with fewer side effects.

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Curare is an example of a non-depolarising muscle relaxant which blocks the acetylcholine receptors on the post synaptic membrane of the neuromuscular junction.

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Curare has also been used historically as a paralyzing poison by South American indigenous people. The prey is killed by asphyxiation as the respiratory muscles are unable to contract resulting in apnea.

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The active ingredient in curare is D-tubocurarine.

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Alkaloid: An alkaloid is a nitrogenous organic molecule that has a pharmacological effect on humans and animals. The name derives from the word alkaline; originally, the term was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base (an amine in modern terms). Alkaloids are found as secondary metabolites in plants (e...

Muscle relaxants: REDIRECT muscle relaxant...

Muscle relaxant: In medicine, a muscle relaxant is a drug that causes skeletal muscle contraction to cease. Muscle relaxants are used to facilitate surgery, to enable tracheal intubation and to facilitate mechanical ventilation....