Question

Muscle-relaxing drugs are administered to a patient during major surgery. Which of the two chemicals described next would be a good skeletal muscle relaxant and why?
- Chemical A binds to and blocks Ach receptors of muscle cells
- Chemical B floods the muscle cells' cytoplasm with Ca2+

Answer 1

Answer:

- Chemical A binds to and blocks Ach receptors of muscle cells

Explanation:

When the Ach receptor in the neuromuscular terminal is blocked by chemical A, the muscles cells will not receive the impulse from the central nervous system. This is the most common type of drug administered to patients during surgery.

In the case of chemical B, flooding the muscle cells' cytoplasm with Ca2+, will cause exactly the opposite, muscle contraction. The reason for this is that high concentration of  Ca2+ in the cytoplasm is an essential part of the mechanism that triggers muscle contraction.