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. 1981 Mar;312:97–113. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1981.sp013618

The effect of (+)-tubocurarine on neuromuscular transmission during repetitive stimulation in the rat, mouse, and frog.

K L Magleby, B S Pallotta, D A Terrar
PMCID: PMC1275543  PMID: 6267269

Abstract

1. The effect of tubocurarine on amplitudes of end-plate currents in response to trains of repetitive stimulation (50-150/sec) was investigated in voltage-clamped muscle fibres of the rat, mouse and frog. 2. In rat and mouse muscle, the presence of tubocurarine led to a more rapid decline (rundown) in the amplitudes of successive end-plate currents during trains of impulses. In frog, tubocurarine caused an increase in apparent facilitation of end-plate current amplitudes during the first few impulses of repetitive stimulation; this increase was followed by a more rapid rundown of end-plate current amplitude. 3. These effects of tubocurarine appear not to be an artifact resulting from inadequate control of membrane potential in voltage-clamped fibres. 4. The more rapid rundown during trains of end-plate currents in the presence of tubocurarine showed little variation with membrane potential indicating that voltage-sensitive channel blockade by tubocurarine was not a major factor contributing to the rundown. 5. The effect of tubocurarine on the apparent facilitation and rundown of end-plate current amplitudes was typically decreased by reducing the frequency of stimulation. 6. These results suggest that tubocurarine affects transmitter release at neuromuscular junctions during repetitive stimulation.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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