Question

There are many types of muscle relaxers. Some act at the neuromuscular junction instead of acting on muscle fibers. Propose two ways in which drug molecules could disrupt these activities at the neuromuscular junction. HINT: You don't need to look up specific drugs. Just propose a mechanism based on what you've described above.

Answer 1

Drug molecules could disrupt activities at the neuromuscular junction by interfering with the release of acetylcholine from motor neurons or blocking ACh receptors.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to disrupt activities at the neuromuscular junction and inhibit muscle contraction, drug molecules could interfere with the release of acetylcholine (ACh) from motor neurons or the activity of ACh receptors.

For example, botulinum toxin inhibits the release of ACh from motor neurons, removing the signal instructing the muscles to contract. Another way is by blocking or antagonizing the ACh receptors, preventing the binding of ACh and thus preventing muscle contraction.