NMBD Flashcards
What is the principle effect(s) of NMBDs?
interrupt transmission of nerve impulses at the NMJ; to optimize surgical conditions and augment patient safety
Is succinylcholine an agonist or antagonist?
Agonist, causes depolarization
Are Non-depolarizing NMBs agonists or antagonists?
Competitive Antagonists, prevent depolarization
The terminal of the ________ motor nerve releases __________ to the motor end plate at the NMJ.
presynaptic; acetylcholine
What is embedded in the lipid bilayer of the presynaptic nerve terminal?
Voltage gated Ca channels and nicotinic Ach receptors
True/False: Nicotinic receptors are at both pre and postsynaptic membranes.
True
What breaks down/metabolizes Ach?
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
What makes up Acetylcholine? and which enzyme?
Acetyl-CoA and Choline with the enzyme Choline Acetyltransferase (ChAT).
What do synaptic vesicles contain? how many?
Quanta of ACh molecules, 1-50k per vesicle
The motor nerve action potential enters and ________ the nerve terminal.
depolarizes
What happens after depolarization of the nerve terminal?
voltage sensitive Ca channels open, calcium diffuses down conc gradient within nerve terminal.
What does the released Ca inside the nerve terminal do?
causes synaptic vesicles of ACh to fuse with nerve cell membrane.
Release of Neurotransmitter ACh depends on entry of _________ into the terminal
Calcium
What happens after the vesicles fuse with the nerve cell membrane?
Exocytosis of Ach, released into synaptic cleft.
What does the presynaptic nicotinic ACh receptor do?
responds to ACH by increasing synthesis and release of ACh; positive feedback mechanism preventing depletion of ACh at NMJ
What does ACh combine with at the postsynaptic membrane?
nicotinic ACh receptors.
How many subunits are on a nicotinic ACh receptor and what are they?
5; 2 alpha, 1 beta, 1 delta, 1 epsilon
How many molecules of ACh must combine with what type of subunits?
2 molecules of ACh with 2 alpha subunits
What causes the nicotinic ACh receptor to open?
when both nicotinic receptor proteins are occupied by ACh.
What happens when the channels of the nicotinic ACh receptor snap open?
Na and Ca INTO cell, K OUT OF cell, making the cell more positive, causes motor end plate to depolarize–Action potential sweeps across skeletal muscle and triggers contraction.
How many of the 5 million postsynaptic receptors need to be occupied by ACh in order to generate an end plate potential?
250-500k
What does AChE split ACh into?
choline and acetate, which terminates the action of ACh
Is the half life of ACh long or short?
very short due to high conc of AChE at synapse
What happens to choline after metabolism?
transported back to nerve terminal where it is reconverted to ACh
What happens to acetate after metabolism?
diffuses away
Name the steps of the main events at the NMJ
1.action potential depolarizes motor neuron. 2.triggers calcium channels to open and influx. 3.facilitates exocytosis of ACh vesicles. 4. ACh molecules released into synaptic cleft. 5. ACh binds with nicotinic receptors on motor end plate causing opening of Na/K channels; Na and Ca in, K out. 6.change in membrane potential sweeps and causes Na channels of adjacent membranes to open thus propagation. 7. ACh rapidly hydrolyzed by AChE. 8. channels close and motor end plate repolarizes. 9. muscle relaxes
Describe extrajunctional nicotinic receptors.
proliferate in response to paralysis, dystrophies, upper/lower motor neuron injury, major burns. channels stay open 4x longer and upregulate –hyper K
What type of receptor is a nicotinic receptor at the NMJ?
ligand gated ion channel
Where is ChAT located? AChE?
ChAT is in presynaptic nerve terminal; AChE is in the synaptic cleft.
What are the other names for Acetylcholinesterase?
True cholinesterase, specific cholinesterase, genuine cholinesterase, type I cholinesterase
What’s the difference between depolarizing muscle relaxants and non-depolarizing muscle relaxants?
Depolarizing are ACh receptor AGONISTS, Non-depolarizing are COMPETETIVE ANTAGONISTS
What is an example of a depolarizing muscle relaxant?
Succinylcholine
What are examples of non-depolarizing muscle relaxants and the durations?
Long: pancuronium; Intermediate: atracurium, cisastracurium, rocuronium, vecuronium; short: mivacurium
Succinylcholine is ______ bound together.
2 ACh molecules
Why is succinylcholine longer acting than ACh?
It’s broken down by a different enzyme that isn’t as available in the synaptic cleft.
What does succinylcholine do?
mimics ACh but causes a sustained depolarization of the cell with an absolute refractory period. As long as the motor end plate doesn’t repolarize it can’t have additional action potentials or contractions.
Why is the duration of Succ so short?
rapid hydrolysis by plasma cholinesterase
What are the other names for plasma cholinesterase?
Pseudocholinesterase or Butyrocholinesterase, false, non-specific, type II cholinesterase
What is the metabolite of succinylcholine?
succinylmonocholine
How much of the injected dose of Succ reaches the NMJ?
10%, most is rapidly metabolized
Where is plasma cholinesterase synthesized?
liver
Why might you have a prolonged Succ blockade?
decreased hepatic production of plasma cholinesterase, drug-induced decreases in plasma cholinesterase, genetically determined presence of atypical plasma cholinesterase
Name factors that lower plasma cholinesterase.
liver disease, advanced age, malnutrition, pregnancy, burns, oral contraceptives, MAOIs, cytotoxic drugs, anticholinesterase drugs, high estrogen levels
Name drugs that decrease pseudocholinesterase activity.
echothiophate, neostigmine, pyridostigmine, phenelzine, cyclophosphamide, metoclopramide, esmolol, pancuronium, oral contraceptives
Atypical plasma cholinesterase is a __________ defect.
qualitative, pseudocholinesterase is produced in sufficient quantity, however the enzyme that is produced is not functional.
What is dibucaine?
a local anesthetic that inhibits normal plasma cholinesterase activity
Does dibucaine have any effect on atypical plasma cholinesterase?
no
What does a dibucaine number reflect?
the percentage of normal enzyme that is inhibited by dibucaine. Blood test assessing QUALITY of enzyme, not routinely drawn.
What does a dibucaine number of 80 and above mean?
normal response to Succ, recover 5-10 min
What does a dibucaine number of 40-60 mean?
response to Succ prolonged 50-100% (20-30 min)
What does a dibucaine number of 20 and below mean?
response to Succ prolonged by 4-8 hours.
Where are postoperative myalgias common from Succ?
neck, back, abdomen