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Biodegradation and Elimination of Neuromuscular Blocking Agents

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New Neuromuscular Blocking Agents

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 79))

Abstract

All neuromuscular blocking agents are characterised by the presence of quaternary ammonium groups. Such groups are essentially stable chemical functions. Thus, although quaternary ammonium compounds can be degraded to tertiary amines, in general this requires treatment with caustic alkali, i.e. approximately pH 14, at temperatures of around 100 °C (Hofmann 1851). It is not surprising, therefore, that the tetraalkylammonium group is not normally subject to biotransformation by the usual metabolic pathways of oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, and conjugation in mammalian species. Consequently simple quaternary ammonium salts are excreted unchanged.

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Authors
  1. J. B. Stenlake
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Academy of Medical Sciences First Medical Institute, 2/6 Pirogovskaya Street, Moscow, II9435, USSR

    Dimitry A. Kharkevich M.D., D. Sc. (Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology Academician of the USSR) (Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology Academician of the USSR)

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© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Stenlake, J.B. (1986). Biodegradation and Elimination of Neuromuscular Blocking Agents. In: Kharkevich, D.A. (eds) New Neuromuscular Blocking Agents. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 79. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70682-0_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70682-0_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-70684-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-70682-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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