CIS - Pharm. of Neuromuscular Junctions Flashcards
Antibodies to which of the following would most likely cause this patients presenting sx? (ptosis)
a. ACH
b. Choline acetyltransferase
c. myosin light chain kinase
d. Na/K ATPase
e. nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
E.
Give two examples of intracellular molecules?
Choline acetyltransferase
myosin light chain kinase
Describe myasthenia gravis
immune disorder characterized by progressive weakness and fatigue throughout the day
Worsens with activity and is improved with rest
circulating antibodies against nAChR are common in diagnosis
Why would ptosis be common with patients with myasthenia gravis?
Because there is a HIGH regional distribution of muscle weakness of muscles surrounding the eyes and mouth
patients might get tired eating
An inhibitor of which of the following is most appropriate to treat this patients symptoms? (patient has myasthenia gravis)
a. Acetylcholinesterase
b. Choline acetyltransferase
c. Choline transporter
d. Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor
e. SNARE complex
a. Acetylcholinesterase
Because we have a reduction of the ACH receptors, there is a more difficult time inducing a muscle contraction
So you want an increase in ACH in the synapse, so you do not want the acetylcholinesterase breaking ish down, because you want ACH to make the contraction via post-synaptic receptors
If you are wanting to treat the patient that has myasthenia gravis, what charge would you want the drug to have? (acetylcholinesterase inhibitor)
a. charged
b. uncharged
a. charged
Want to keep the drug out of the brain and out of the CNS, so you want it to be charged in order to stay in the periphery
Uncharged drugs will cross the BBB and into the CNS
What are two fast tests for myasthenia gravis prior to Ab testing?
- Tension (edrophonium testing) Achetylcholinesterase inhibitor to see if the symptoms disappeared
- Ice pack to see if the sx disappear
Anesthesia is induced with propofol and a neuromuscular blocking agent that produces muscle fasciculations (twitches) upon administration. Which of the following fits this description?
a. acetylcholinesterase inhibitor
b. Botulinum
c. d-turbocurarine
d. succinylcholine
e. Tetanus toxin
d. succinylcholine
drug that causes paralysis by acting as an agonist (compound that elicits a natural pharmacological response)
Contacts the receptor over and over and over again, and there is paralysis of the muscle because there is not an action potential that is able to get past since the receptors are being constantly annoyed by the succinylcholine. It results in a flaccid paralysis
What is an antagonist in pharmacology?
Inhibits a natural physiological response
What is an agonist that causes paralysis?
Succinylcholine
Describe d-turbocarine- what does she do?
Causes paralysis by acting as an antagonist and blocking the muscle receptors (stops a physiological process from occurring)
True/False: Tetanus toxin is not used in any clinical setting.
TRUE
Describe a non depolarizing blockade
Prevents access of ACH to its receptor and block depolarization
Describe a depolarizing blockade
Keeps the ACH open, either the receptor is weakened or the drug gets stuck in the channel, and nothing can get through and cause a response
AT 4.5 hours after incision, the patients body temperature is 40.9 C. At this time, a rise of more than 0.5 C is observed in less than 15 minutes. What is most likely the diagnosis? (The patient has an increased CO2)
a. Lung carcinoma
b. Malignant hyperthermia
c. Myosarcoma
d. Rhabdomyolysis
e. Succinylcholine overdose
b. malignant hyperthermia
Describe malignant hyperthermia
hypermetabolic response to volatile anesthesia
What are the molecular mechanisms of MH?
RYR1 mutations: the muscles are unable to sequester calcium and there is a constant contraction
If this patients (MH patient in surgery) is left untreated and uncontrolled what is the most likely consequence?
a. Brain damage
b. Heart failure
c. Kidney failure
d. liver failure
e. permanent paralysis
c. kidney failure- rhabdomyolysis
Describe rhabdomyolysis
final common pathway for injury is an increase in intracellular free ionized cytoplasmic and mitochondrial Ca2+
Increased CA2+ leads to increase ROS and leads to muscle cell death
Lysis of the muscle cells leads to acute renal failure
Which of the following agents is most appropriate to treat this patient? (MH)
a. Acetylcholinesterase
b. Dantrolene
c. Tetrodotoxin
d. Succinylcholine
e. Tetanus toxin
b. Dantrolene- drug that blocks the ryanodine receptor (RYR1) and will keep the CA2+ in the SR and is necessary in order to stop the sustained contraction
What happens after it is recognized that the patient has malignant hyperthermia?
Anesthesia is stopped
Ventilation is increased with 100% oxygen to combat systemic acidosis
Cooling blankets; ice to surfaces
Dantrolene is administered
Skeletal muscle synapses with one long motor neuron from the spinal cord. What is the signal that is used at the synapse between the neuron and muscle fibers?
Acetylcholine (ACh)
What type of receptors are used at the synapse of a motor neuron and skeletal muscle?
Nicotinic ACh receptors
What are the steps involved in neuromuscular junction transmission?
1) Axonal conduction
2) Junctional transmission (cholinergic)
3) ACh signaling
4) Muscle contraction
Nicotinic (and muscarinic) are types of __________ receptors, meaning they bind to ACh.
Cholinergic
Junctional transmission has 4 steps that occur with the ACh itself. What are these steps?
1) ACh synthesis
2) ACh storage
3) ACh release
4) ACh destruction
In ACh synthesis, a cholinergic neuron first absorbs _______ from outside the cell via a ________ transporter.
Choline
Choline
In ACh synthesis, once choline is inside the cell then _______ _______ will combine Acetyl CoA and Choline to form _________.
Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) Acetylcholine (ACh)
Immediately after ACh is synthesized, it is shuttled into storage vesicles via an ACh vesicular transporter. This transporter is (ATP/GTP) dependent.
ATP
Patients with Alzheimers disease have reduced cerebral production of what enzyme?
ChAT (Choline acetyltransferase)
***This is what combines Acetyl CoA and Choline to make ACh
How many molecules of ACh are within each vesicle?
1 K - 50 K
A motor nerve terminal may contain over ______ vesicles.
300 K
When the action potential has reached the end of the motor neuron (pre-synapse) then ________ _______ channels open due to the depolarization. This allows ________ to enter the cell and promote the vesicles holding ACh to fuse with the membrane.
Voltage-gated Calcium
Calcium
Once the vesicles holding ACh are close to the membrane, these vesicular and plasma membrane proteins will initiate vesicle-plasma membrane fusion and release of ACh.
VAMPs (on vesicle)
SNAPs (on membrane)
How many ACh vesicles will rupture per action potential?
About 125 vesicles
Once fusion of the vesicle to the membrane occurs, ACh will be released into the synapse via exocytosis. This ACh will go on to activate post-synaptic receptors which are…
Nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChR)
To stop post-synaptic signaling by ACh, the enzyme ___________ will cleave ACh into choline and acetate.
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
What happens to choline produced by AChE from cleaning ACh?
It is recycled back into the pre-synaptic motor neuron via the choline transporter.
This occurs at the nerve terminal to replenish the number of available vesicles when post-synaptic signaling has stopped.
Endocytosis