Strychnine

Strychnine is a highly toxic alkaloid found in plants of the genus Strychnos. It causes severe convulsions by blocking inhibitory glycine receptors in the nervous system.

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Glycine receptor: A ligand-gated chloride channel that mediates much of the brainstem and spinal cord’s inhibitory signaling. Strychnine causes poisoning by competitively blocking these receptors.
Strychnos nux-vomica: An Asian tree whose seeds contain strychnine and other toxic alkaloids. Its seeds are a major natural source of strychnine.
Poisoning: Illness or injury caused by exposure to a harmful chemical or biological substance. Strychnine exposure is a potentially fatal form of acute poisoning.
Strychnine poisoning: Acute illness caused by strychnine exposure, typically marked by painful spasms, heightened reflexes, and preserved awareness early on. This is the characteristic human consequence of exposure to the alkaloid.
Glycine: An amino acid that also serves as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, especially in the spinal cord and brainstem. It is the transmitter whose receptor signaling strychnine interrupts.
Ignatius bean: The seed of Strychnos ignatii, a strychnine-containing plant native to Southeast Asia. This plant provided another traditional source of the alkaloid.
Toxicology: The study of harmful effects of chemicals on living organisms and methods for assessing exposure and risk. Strychnine is a classic subject for studying dose, mechanism, and toxic effects.
Thomas Hicks: An American marathon runner who won the 1904 Olympic marathon after receiving strychnine and other substances during the race. His race is a documented early example of strychnine’s use as a performance stimulant.
Inhibitory postsynaptic potential: A change in a postsynaptic cell’s membrane potential that makes firing an action potential less likely. Blocking glycine receptors removes this restraint from motor circuits.
Pierre Joseph Pelletier: A French chemist who helped isolate numerous plant alkaloids in the early nineteenth century. Pelletier and Joseph Caventou isolated strychnine in 1818.