Alcuronium belongs to the strychnos alkaloids, a class of alkaloids and derivatives within the organic compounds. With an average molecular weight of 826.70 g/mol, Alcuronium is a heavy molecule. This exogenous compound has the chemical formula C44H50Br2N4O2 and exists as a solid at room temperature.
Alcuronium is utilized as a muscle relaxant. It acts as a non-depolarizing muscle relaxant that serves as a competitive antagonist at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The compound interacts with 17 recorded protein targets, including the Acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha (CHRNA1), the Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M4 (CHRM4), and the neuronal acetylcholine receptor subunits alpha-2 (CHRNA2), alpha-3 (CHRNA3), and alpha-4 (CHRNA4), among 12 other proteins.
belongs to the class of organic compounds known as strychnos alkaloids. These are alkaloids having a core structure based on the strychnan, stemmadenine (seco-curan), or the akuammicine (curan) skeleton.
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Uses/Sources
Alcuronium is a type of curare, a plant toxin known for its use as paralyzing arrow poison by South American indigenous people. It can be extracted from a variety of plants, including Strychnos toxifera and Chondrodendron tomentosum. (1)
Minimum Risk Level
Not Available
Health Effects
Curare is a muscle relaxant that can lead to death from asphyxiation, as the respiratory muscles are unable to contract. (1)
Symptoms
Curare is a muscle relaxant and thus causes paraylsis. (1)
Treatment
The antidote for curare poisoning is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (anti-cholinesterase), such as physostigmine or neostigmine. (1)
