D-tubocurarine

D-tubocurarine Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Food Interaction and all others data.

D-tubocurarine is a non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent and the first identified curare alkaloid. Curare is one of the names used to describe plant-derived poisons used by indigenous South Americans to coat the tips of hunting arrows and darts, which were typically derived from plants of the genera Chondrodendron and Strychnos. D-tubocurarine is a benzylisoquinoline derivative and shares this structural backbone with a number of plant-derived alkaloids, including morphine and papaverine. It was first isolated by Harold King in 1935 and was used clinically to induce neuromuscular blockade during surgeries, particularly those involving the abdomen. D-tubocurarine's clinical use was limited by its relatively long duration of action (30-60 minutes) and a number of significant side effects. Safer and more pharmacokinetically favorable non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockers, such as rocuronium, have largely replaced the use of tubocurarine in the clinical setting.

Trade Name	D-tubocurarine
Availability	Discontinued
Generic	Tubocurarine
Tubocurarine Other Names	d-tubocurarine, Tubocurarin, Tubocurarine, Tubocurarinum
Type
Formula	C₃₇H₄₁N₂O₆
Weight	Average: 609.7312 Monoisotopic: 609.296462054
Groups	Approved
Therapeutic Class
Manufacturer
Available Country
Last Updated:	September 19, 2023 at 7:00 am

How D-tubocurarine works

D-tubocurarine exerts its neuromuscular blocking effects via inhibition of acetylcholine (ACh) activity. It exerts a sort of reversible competitive antagonistic effect at post-synaptic nicotinic receptors, reducing the probability of activation via ACh by repeatedly associating and dissociating from these receptors - in doing so, tubocurarine prevents depolarization of the affected nerves. This mechanism distinguishes tubocurarine and similars from other neuromuscular blocking agents and is the reason they are referred to as "non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockers".