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Depolarising effect of curare on embryonic rat muscles

Abstract

CURARE (d-tubocurarine) reduces the responsiveness of skeletal muscle fibres to nerve stimulation1 by acting as a competitive antagonist to the transmitter acetylcholine (ACh)2. In adult muscle this action is not accompanied by any obvious change in muscle fibre resting potential, such as is produced by depolarising blocking agents3. We report here that in rat embryos curare evokes large depolarisations through action on ACh receptors.

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ZISKIND, L., DENNIS, M. Depolarising effect of curare on embryonic rat muscles. Nature 276, 622–623 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/276622a0

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