Tubocurarine chloride pentahydrateProduct ingredient for Tubocurarine

Tubocurarine is a non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent and the first identified curare alkaloid.¹ Curare is one of the names used to describe plant-derived poisons used by indigenous South Americans to coat the tips of hunting arrows and darts, which were typically derived from plants of the genera Chondrodendron and Strychnos.¹ Tubocurarine is a benzylisoquinoline derivative and shares this structural backbone with a number of plant-derived alkaloids, including morphine and papaverine.² It was first isolated by Harold King in 1935 and was used clinically to induce neuromuscular blockade during surgeries, particularly those involving the abdomen.⁴ Tubocurarine's clinical use was limited by its relatively long duration of action (30-60 minutes)⁴ and a number of significant side effects.⁶ Safer and more pharmacokinetically favorable non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockers, such as rocuronium, have largely replaced the use of tubocurarine in the clinical setting.⁶