A hypothetical genetic disease causes the body to produce antibodies that compete with acetylcholine for receptors on the motor end plate. Patients with this disease exhibit varying degrees of muscle weakness and flaccid paralysis in the affected
muscles. If you could administer a drug that inhibits acetylcholinesterase or a drug that blocks acetylcholine, which one would you use to alleviate these symptoms?
What will be an ideal response?
This is a case of competition between acetylcholine and the antibody. To make the patient's acetylcholine more effective, a drug that inhibits acetylcholinesterase would slow the breakdown of his acetylcholine, relieving some of the weakness. An acetylcholine blocker would be worse than doing nothing.
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