Tubocurarin

Tubocurarin Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Food Interaction and all others data.

Tubocurarin 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. Tubocurarin 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. Tubocurarin'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	Tubocurarin
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 Tubocurarin works

Tubocurarin 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".