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Scopolamine
Julia Bedell
Laci Click
Meredith Barr
Where does it come from?
 Scopolamine is an
alkaloid drug found as a
secondary metabolite of
plants in the
Solanaceae family.


Solanaceaes are
nightshade plants
Examples of plants in
the family that produce
scopolamine are
henbane and jimson
weed
 Jimson Weed
Chemical make up
 Alkaloid drugs
 In the tropane group
 Alkaloid drugs are
defined as naturally
occurring amines that
are produced by a
plant
 Many have anesthetic
or analgesic effects
 Chemical formula
 C17H21NO4
A drug with a sorted history!
 Project MKULTRA


In the 1950’s the CIA investigated the use of
Scopolamine as a “truth serum”
Due to hallucinogenic side effects the drug
was determined to be an unreliable
interrogation drug
So what do we use it for?
 Scopolamine is used as
an anti-nausea
medication
 It is given in patch
(transdermal) form to
treat nausea associated
with motion sickness
and chemotherapy.
 Marketed as
Scopoderm and
Transderm-V
Mechanism of Action
 Scopolamine is an antagonist at muscarinic
acetylcholine receptors (M1)
 Blocking acetylcholine from binding to the
receptor blocks Acetylcholine mediated nerve
impulses from traveling through the body
Mechanism of Action
 In motion sickness a person feels ill because
of conflicting sensory information from the
visual senses and balance center in the inner
ear.
 To treat motion sickness this antagonist
blocks the acetylcholine mediated nerve
impulses to the inner ear where balance is
controlled.
Other Medical Uses
 Scopolamine is sometimes used for other medical purposes
such as:


CNS depressant for pain
management
Pupil Dilator

Paralysis of eye muscles

Antispasmodic
 At one point, Scopolamine was mixed with morphine to produce a
state known as “twilight sleep”.
 “Twilight sleep” was induced to yield an insensibility to pain
without loss of consciousness
The negative side of Scopolamine use
 Acetylcholine is the major neurotransmitter
found in autonomic ganglia, and is the
chemical that allows neurons to communicate
for sensory input and muscle control.
 Muscarinic receptors are important for control
of:


Central Nervous System
Parasympathetic control of heart, lungs, and
gastrointestinal functioning
Negative side of Scopolamine cont’
 By blocking Ach- M1 functioning, you could
inhibit the Central and Peripheral Nervous
System functioning.
 Acetylcholine antagonists also cause heart
rate to increase which can lead to myocardial
infarction or angina.
Remember!
 This drug is highly toxic!
 It must be used in small doses.
 An overdose of Scopolamine can cause
delirium, paralysis, stupor, heart failure, and
death.
Other Side Effects






Anisocoria
Dry mouth
Blurred vision
Constipation
Drowsiness
Poor Memory
Unequal dilation of
pupils (also known as
anisocoria)
Negative uses of Scopolamine
 In recent years the use of Scopolamine for
criminal purposes has increased dramatically.
 Scopolamine is often used as a date rape
drug because it causes delirium,
hallucinations, and has sedative effects on
the victim.
For more information
 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682509.html
 http://www.drugs.com/mtm/scopolamine.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopolamine
 http://www.transdermscop.com/ (commercial site)
 http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1641616