The Toxic Analogy
June 07, 2020 DecodedMedicine_Dr.Priya07
'Blind
as a bat, Hot as a hare, Red as a beet,
Mad as a hatter, Dry as a bone' -
So goes the saying that describes a person poisoned with
Atropine.
Atropine is an anticholinergic drug which was first
extracted from the plant Atropa belladona, hence the
name.
The nervous system includes the central, peripheral and
autonomic system of nerves.The autonomic nervous
system is composed of sympathetic and parasympathetic
nerves. The parasympathetic nervous system mainly
, relaxes the body and inhibits or slows certain functions
whereas the sympathetic nervous system has opposite
actions.
Acetylcholine, the chief neurotransmitter of the
parasympathetic nervous system acts on Nicotinic and
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. The actions of
Acetylcholine varies depending on the receptor on which
it acts, classified as its nicotinic and muscarinic actions.
Atropine acts by blocking the muscarinic acetylcholine
receptors, thereby preventing the muscarinic actions of
acetylcholine. Therefore, it is classified as an
anticholinergic (anti-acetylcholine) drug.
Atropine poisoning can occur by ingestion of plant
products that contain hyoscyamine, a component of
atropine (or) by drug overdosage.
The effects of atropine poisoning can be elucidated by
first understanding the muscarinic effects of
acetylcholine.
The muscarinic effects of acetylcholine further depends
on its receptor subtypes and the location of action. Given
below is a list of muscarinic receptors, their location and
June 07, 2020 DecodedMedicine_Dr.Priya07
'Blind
as a bat, Hot as a hare, Red as a beet,
Mad as a hatter, Dry as a bone' -
So goes the saying that describes a person poisoned with
Atropine.
Atropine is an anticholinergic drug which was first
extracted from the plant Atropa belladona, hence the
name.
The nervous system includes the central, peripheral and
autonomic system of nerves.The autonomic nervous
system is composed of sympathetic and parasympathetic
nerves. The parasympathetic nervous system mainly
, relaxes the body and inhibits or slows certain functions
whereas the sympathetic nervous system has opposite
actions.
Acetylcholine, the chief neurotransmitter of the
parasympathetic nervous system acts on Nicotinic and
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. The actions of
Acetylcholine varies depending on the receptor on which
it acts, classified as its nicotinic and muscarinic actions.
Atropine acts by blocking the muscarinic acetylcholine
receptors, thereby preventing the muscarinic actions of
acetylcholine. Therefore, it is classified as an
anticholinergic (anti-acetylcholine) drug.
Atropine poisoning can occur by ingestion of plant
products that contain hyoscyamine, a component of
atropine (or) by drug overdosage.
The effects of atropine poisoning can be elucidated by
first understanding the muscarinic effects of
acetylcholine.
The muscarinic effects of acetylcholine further depends
on its receptor subtypes and the location of action. Given
below is a list of muscarinic receptors, their location and
