Why might acetycholine agonists/mimetics not really effect nicotinic receptors at the neuromuscular junction? This was brought up in sketchy pharm?
Thank you!
Thank you!
Why do acetycholine agonists not affect nmj?
- Thread starter Onigiri
- Start date
- Joined
- May 24, 2017
- Messages
- 248
- Reaction score
- 85
It depends on the type of acetylcholine agonist that you're using.
Ex. Pilocarpine is a muscarinic agonist used to increase salivation for dry mouth in Sjogren's syndorme and radiation therapy. It does not have an effect on nicotinic receptors (muscles).
Ex. Succinylcholine is a nicotinic agonist used to induce paralysis for operations. It has such a strong avidity for the nicotinic receptors that it can bind and induce desensitization of the nerve terminal (phase 2 block) causing the cells to retract nicotinic receptors, so that additional acetylcholine can no longer bind to the cells, resulting in inability of the muscle cells to depolarize (potentially causing apnea and death). Succinylcholine does not have an effect on muscarinic receptors though.
So as you can see, it depends on the agent you're using.
Ex. Pilocarpine is a muscarinic agonist used to increase salivation for dry mouth in Sjogren's syndorme and radiation therapy. It does not have an effect on nicotinic receptors (muscles).
Ex. Succinylcholine is a nicotinic agonist used to induce paralysis for operations. It has such a strong avidity for the nicotinic receptors that it can bind and induce desensitization of the nerve terminal (phase 2 block) causing the cells to retract nicotinic receptors, so that additional acetylcholine can no longer bind to the cells, resulting in inability of the muscle cells to depolarize (potentially causing apnea and death). Succinylcholine does not have an effect on muscarinic receptors though.
So as you can see, it depends on the agent you're using.
Similar threads
