Botulinum toxins act at four different sites in the body: The neuromuscular junction, autonomic ganglia, postganglionic parasympathetic nerve endings and postganglionic sympathetic nerve endings that release acetylcholine (Nigam, 2010). Botulinum toxin influences weakness of striated muscles by inhibiting transmission of alpha motor neurones at the neuromuscular junction(Nigam, 2010). When most people think of toxins they only affiliated them with being harmful, however botulinum toxin has been able to be used in conditions with muscular overactivity, such as dystonia which is involuntary muscle contractions. There are many serotypes of botulinum toxin, however Serotype A which is the only commercially available form of botulinum toxin for clinical use is the example we most commonly hear about. Two preparations of botulinum toxin A exist: Dysport and Botox unfortunately, however there has been much confusion over the doses and units of potency of the two preparations (Nigam, 2010). The injection of Botulinum toxin is very …show more content…
There are numerous amounts of snake and all of them have their own unique venom and qualities, each affecting a seperate part of the body. The venoms have a predilection for the peripheral nervous system where the neuromuscular junction is a favorite target; the venoms affecting the release of acetylcholine from the presynaptic membrane are called β-neurotoxins and those affecting the postsynaptic membrane are called α-neurotoxins(Lewis and Gutmann, 2004). There are about 2,340 species of snakes in the world and more than 420 species are venemous (Lewis and Gutmann, 2004). That might seem like nothing but realistically is a lot. Snakes use glands to inject venom, which are actually modified salivary glands that are situated below the eyes (Lewis and Gutmann, 2004). The numerous toxins present in snake venoms result in injury to several organ systems including muscles, kidneys, and blood coagulation disturbances(Lewis and Gutmann, 2004). The death rate, however, relies on different factors such as the snake species, the amount of venom that was put into the body, what part of the body it automatically affected and how fast an individual seeks medical treatment amongst many other factors. The most important part in snake venom is the neurotoxins. Neurotoxins have a high preponderance for the peripheral nervous system because most do not cross the blood brain barrier(Lewis and Gutmann,