Wednesday, October 7, 2009

The poison of a lizard in the amazon destroys the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine. What effect do you think this poison would have on the body?

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter. That is, neurons uses this chemical to send signals to other cells (specifically, the muscle cells). Acetylcholinesterase is the enzyme that breaks down this chemical and prevents its buildup in our body. If the lizard's poison destroys these enzymes (that is, acetylcholinesterase), there would be no check on the quantity of acetylcholine in our body and our body would have excess acetylcholine in it.


The primary purpose of acetylcholine is to control the activity of our muscles. That is, our body is dependent on acetylcholine for muscular movement. Toxins that adversely affect acetylcholinesterase would cause acetylcholine to buildup in our body, especially at the synaptic space. This would keep the receptors engaged and ultimately cause paralysis. Some of the other side-effects of acetylcholine buildup are decreased amounts of other neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and dopamine), which may cause symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, etc.


Hope this helps. 

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