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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

In vitro Measurements of Tracheal Constriction Using Mice
Published on: June 25, 2012
Do pipecuronium and rocuronium affect human bronchial smooth muscle?
1Servizio di Anestesia e Rianimazione, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genova, Italy. rehder.kai@Mayo.edu
Background:
Muscle relaxants affect nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. Interaction of muscle relaxants with muscarinic receptors of human airways has been studied incompletely.
Methods:
The effects of pipecuronium bromide (long-acting, nondepolarizing) and rocuronium bromide (intermediate-acting, nondepolarizing) on prejunctional and postjunctional muscarinic receptors were studied in 96 isolated human bronchial rings from 12 patients. Contractile isometric responses to electric field stimulation of pilocarpine-stimulated and nonstimulated M2 muscarinic receptors were compared before and after incubation with the two muscle relaxants. The effect on postjunctional muscarinic receptors was studied by comparing acetylcholine concentration-response curves before and after incubation with the two muscle relaxants.
Results:
Pipecuronium bromide, but not rocuronium bromide, inhibited pilocarpine-stimulated prejunctional M2 muscarinic receptors. Neither pipecuronium bromide nor rocuronium bromide had significant inhibitory effects on nonstimulated M2 muscarinic receptors and on postjunctional M3 muscarinic receptors.
Conclusions:
The inhibitory effect of pipecuronium bromide on pilocarpine-stimulated prejunctional M2 muscarinic receptors occurred at clinical concentrations.
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