Neuromuscular blocking activity of a glycosidic extract of the plant Sarcolobus globosus

Crude glycoside extracts from the plant, Sarcolobus globosus, were tested on the rat phrenic nerve-diaphragm, chick biventer cervicis and frog rectus abdominis preparations. Nerve-stimulated twitches were inhibited by the extract. The muscle paralysis was not similar to that by curare-like blockers as it was not reversed by neostigmine or by a tetanus. Although contractures to acetylcholine or carbachol were not affected by 0.6 mg/ml of the extract, higher concentration of the extracts (3 mg/ml) depressed the log dose-response curve of acetylcholine and carbachol. The results suggest that the neuromuscular blocking effect of the extracts is either dose-dependent or due to a mixture of toxins with presynaptic or postsynaptic actions.