Pharmacology Flashcards
Pharm
Agents that affect the Nerve action potential
Tetrodotoxin and Local Anesthetics
Agents that affect vesicular acetylcholine release
Botulinum toxin and Tetanus toxin
Agents that affect depolarization
Nueromuscular blocking drugs: Curare alkaloids and Succinylcholine
Agents that inhibit acetylcholinesterase
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
Agents that affect the nerve action potential
Tetrodotoxin
Agents that affect muscle contraction
Dantrolene
What is the primary neurotransmitter of the somatic nervous system?
Acetylcholine (ACh)
What are nAChRs?
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Where are nAChRs found?
Membranes of POST-synaptic muscle cells, but can be found prejunctional
What is the motor end plate (NMJ)?
The site of innervation on the muscle cell surface - AKA Myoneural junction
The sodium potassium pump pumps what where and how many of each?
3 Na+ ions are pumped out for every 2 K+ ions pumped into the cell
Na+ and Cl- ions are present in higher concentrations inside or outside the cell?
Na+ and Cl- ions are present in higher concentrations outside the cell.
List the three stages of an action potential
Resting stage, Depolarization stage and Repolarization stage
During the Resting Stage of an AP, what is the polaization of a cell membrane?
The membrane is considered “polarized” at around -70 to -80 mV
What does the depolarization stage do to the membrane potential?
The membrane becomes less negative, and swings toward a zero value and can become a positive value in large nerve and muscle fibers.
During depolarization, the cell membrane becomes permeable to what ion?
Sodium (Na+) - rapidly - (Na+ ions defuse into cell)
During repolarization stage, which channels close and which channels open?
Na+ channels close (Na+ stops entering the cell)K+ channels open and K+ rapidly diffuses down its concentration gradient into the extracellular space.
What is axonal conduction?
Passage of an impulse (AP) along an axon or muscle fiber
What initiates an AP?
Depolarization above the threshold level
What is junctional transmission?
The passage of an AP across a synaptic junction
Outline the series of events following the arrival of an action potential at a muscle nerve
1: release of ACh from axon2: Diffusion of ACh across the synaptic cleft3: Activation of th skeletal muscle nAChRs4: Induction of an action potential in the muscle and subsequent contraction5: Destruction of ACh
What is choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)?
An enzyme that combines the acetyle moiety of acetyl coenzyme A with choline in the cytoplasm of the neuron (the final step in synthesis of ACh)
What is the first step in ACh synthesis?
A high affinity choline trasporter transport choline from the plasma into the neurons
The choline transport system is dependent on what extracellular molecules?
Na+ and choline
Where is ACh sequestered upon synthesis?
Synaptic vesicles
Where is Acetyl CoA synthesized?
mitochondria
Is inhibiting ChAT via pharmaceutcal agents worthwhile?
No, because the uptake of choline is the rate-limiting step in ACh synthesis.
Where is ACh stored?
ACh is stored in synaptic vesicle located at the nerve terminals by the ACh vesicular transporter
When an AP reaches the axonal terminal, depolarization causes voltage gated channels of what ion to open?
Ca2+ (flows into the neuron)
What do elevated Ca2+ levels promote?
Elevated Ca2+ levels promote fusion of the vesicular membrane with the cell membrane and exocytosis of ACh into the synaptic cleft
What superfamily of proteins mediate fusion between vesicle and presynaptic membranes?
SNARE proteins (vesicle SNARES and target SNARES)
Synaptobrevin (VAMP), syntaxin and SNAP-25 do what?
These SNARE proteins for the core SNARE complex that brings the vesicle and presynaptic membranes into close contact.
What is synaptotagmin and what does it trigger?
Synaptotagmin is a calcium sensor protein located on the ACh vesicle membrane which triggers vesicle fusion and exocytosis.
What ion must be present for Synaptotagmin to trigger ACh vesicle fusion and exocytosis?
Calcium 2+
After release of ACh into the synaptic cleft, what two proteins bind to the SNARE complex?
alpha-SNARE and the ATPase NSF
What do alpha-SNARE and ATPase NSF do?
They bind to the SNARE complex and disassemble the SNARES and recycle the ACh vesicle.