Succinylcholine is the only therapeutically used depolarizing neuromuscular blocker.
Unlike nondepolarizing substances, succinylchloride is not a competitive antagonist; conversely,
it is a more stable agonist than acetylcholine. In this manner, succinylcholine differs
from acetylcholine only in duration—it lasts longer, causing a more stable
depolarization. Thus the process of repolarization is blocked and the muscles relax. During
this period, muscles that cause fine movement (ocular, facial, neck) are the most sensitive
and are blocked first, after which muscles of the extremities are blocked, and finally the
most stable respiratory muscles. Restoration occurs upon completion of drug action.
Therapeutic use of succinylcholine consists of preventing involuntary patient movement.
It is used for brief operations, intubation of the trachea, and other endoscopic procedures.
Synonyms of this drug are listenon, midarine, sucostrin, ditilin, and others.
ChEBI: A quaternary ammonium ion that is the bis-choline ester of succinic acid.
For the first time Fusko with coworkers synthesied the succinylcholine in 1949
year.
By the etherification of succinic acid chloroanhydride with
dimethylaminoethanol hydrochloride in the presence of sodium hydroxide
succinylcholine was prepared. Then the obtained succinylcholine was purified.
To the succinylcholine the methylchloride was added (1:2 mols) and the
succinylcholine dichloride was obtained as white powder.
The succinylcholine is used as succinylcholine diiodide. This salt may be
prepeared identicaly.
Succinylcholine, 2,2-[(1,4-dioxo-1,4-butanediyl)bis(oxy)]bis[N,N,Ntrimethylethanaminium(
diacetylcholine)] dichloride, which can be viewed as a dimeric molecule
of acetylcholine (diacetylcholine), is synthesized by reacting succinic acid dichloride
with 2-dimethylaminoethanol and subsequent transformation of the resulting bis-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)
succinate (15.1.13) into a quaternary salt, succinylcholine (15.1.14).
