Medical What is the action of acetylcholine and anticholinesterase. Confused

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Acetylcholine is released from postganglionic parasympathetic fibers and preganglionic fibers of both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, causing muscle contraction at neuromuscular junctions. Anticholinesterase increases acetylcholine levels, enhancing parasympathetic activity, but raises questions about its effects on sympathetic activity as well. High acetylcholine levels primarily affect end organs rather than junctions, leading to symptoms like pupillary constriction and bronchoconstriction in cases of anticholinesterase poisoning. The discussion also highlights that combining anticholinesterase with a neuromuscular blocker like tubocurarine may reduce the latter's effectiveness due to increased acetylcholine competition. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for managing acetylcholine-related pharmacological effects.
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What is the action of acetylcholine and anticholinesterase. Confused!

Hello everyone,

Ok Acetylchlone is released from postganglionic parasympathetic fibres and preganglionic nerve fibres of both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. It also cause muscle contraction in neuromuscular junction. So anticholinesterase would increase acetylcholine level---> Now what would be the effects of increased acetylcholine. Ok I understand parasympathetic activity would be increased, but if lots of acetylcholine is there in preganglionic nerve fibres of sympathetic fibres now, shouldn't sympathetic activity also increase. So what is the final effect.Also in anticholinesterase poisoning what are the clinical effects. I can't work it out because of my previous confusion. Is is like pupillary constriction and bronchoconstriction if parasympathetic predominates. Also increased muscle contraction. Also if I use anticholinesterase in combination with a competitive agonist and neuromuscular blocking agent such as tubocurarine would this decrease the action of tubercurine, because now it has compete with acetylcholine.

Thanks for help in advance :smile:
 
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first high acetylcholine levels would be at the end organ level, not junction.

The effects of overdose is exactly like you said, plus a couple of other ones you can probably find onlline
 


mazinse said:
first high acetylcholine levels would be at the end organ level, not junction.

The effects of overdose is exactly like you said, plus a couple of other ones you can probably find onlline

Hey thanks for taking your time to help :smile: But could u please elaborate when you say "first high acetylcholine levels would be at the end organ level, not junction." Does this mean that if i give a cholinergic drugs (acetylcholine agonists), they will travel through the blood stream and reach the organs first, so by the time they reach nerve junctions there concentration would be very low hence minimum sympathetic activity.
 


yeah that's what i am thinking, especially since acetylcholine's half life isn't that long to begin with.
 
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