Curare is a plant based poison which is used by South American indigenous people as a toxin for hunting, the prey once shot by a dart coated with the toxin asphyxiate due to relaxation of skeletal muscles. Curare has also found use as a surgical anesthetic, again for its property of relaxing skeletal muscle. Which of the following is a possible mechanism for how curare could work?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Curare is known to block nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) on skeletal muscle cells, preventing the action of acetylcholine from transmitting the signal to contract the muscle. This leads to muscle relaxation and can cause paralysis if the dose is high enough.

Curare Is a Plant Based Poison Which Is Used by South