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Description

Atracurium is an intermediate-duration, nondepolarizing, skeletal muscle relaxant for intravenous administration. It is used, as an adjunct to general anesthesia, to facilitate endotracheal intubation and to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation. Most adverse reactions were suggestive of histamine release. Common side effects include flushing of the skin and low blood pressure. Drugs which may enhance the neuromuscular blocking action of atracurium include: enflurane; isoflurane; halothane; certain antibiotics, especially the aminoglycosides and polymyxins; lithium; magnesium salts; procainamide; and quinidine.

CNS Activity

Originator

Approval Year

Targets

Primary TargetPharmacologyConditionPotency
169.5 nM [IC50]

Conditions

ConditionModalityTargetsHighest PhaseProduct
Palliative
ATRACURIUM BESYLATE

PubMed

Sample Use Guides

In Vivo Use Guide
An atracurium besylate dose of 0.4 to 0.5 mg/kg (1.7 to 2.2 times the ED95), given as an intravenous bolus injection, is the recommended initial dose for most patients. Maximum neuromuscular block achieved approximately 3 to 5 minutes after injection.
Route of Administration: Intravenous
In Vitro Use Guide
Exposure of isolated rat hepatocytes to atracurium produced cellular damage evidenced by extrusion of an intracellular enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), into the incubation medium. Leakage of LDH was directly related to the concentration of atracurium in the medium (250 to 800 microM). When atracurium was added to the medium and the medium immediately added to hepatocytes, the leakage of LDH increased as the concentration of atracurium increased (P < 0.001 for the comparison with cells not exposed to atracurium).
Substance Class Mixture
Record UNII
2GQ1IRY63P
Record Status Validated (UNII)
Record Version
Definition References
(2)