How Does Botulinum Toxin (Botox) Causes Paralysis

Sierra Stubbs

Prof. Roesch, Prof. Frenzel

Neuroscience and Behavior Biology 120

September 21, 2015

How Botulism Toxin (Botox) Causes Paralysis

Botulinum toxin is the toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. (CDC) This toxin is the most poisonous substance known to man. (Reddy) One gram of botulinum, if distributed evenly, could kill one million people if inhaled. (Reddy) Botulism, the disease caused by botulinum toxin, is very rare; there are only roughly 145 new cases in the United States each year. (CDC) However, even though the toxin is so poisonous, it’s also used in a common everyday item: Botox. (National)

Botox is used for plastic surgery treatments to fix things such as wrinkly facial skin and changing overall facial appearance; it’s also used as a medical treatment for problems such as underarm sweating, severe muscle contractions, and many more. (National) Botulinum toxin works by

blocking vesicles containing acetylcholine from fusing with the membrane of motor neurons. (Reddy) Because these vesicles aren’t able to fuse, they aren’t able to release their neurotransmitter- acetylcholine. (Reddy) Acetylcholine is the key in muscle contraction, so when it’s not being released, the muscle cannot contract. (Reddy) The result of the muscle not being able to contract is flaccid muscle paralysis. (Reddy) This flaccid muscle paralysis softens the contracted skin(wrinkles) of the application site. (National) However, flaccid muscle paralysis can cause drooping and sagging of the skin, especially when occurring in the face- such as with the wrong dose of Botox, or the wrong type. (National) In order for the paralysis to be treated, an antitoxin must be administered. (Reddy)
In conclusion, botulinum toxin is very toxic. One gram can kill one million people. The toxin is commonly used in the form of Botox, and it works by blocking the release of acetylcholine. However, the wrong dose or wrong formula of the toxin can cause serious damage such as flaccid paralysis.

Works Cited

CDC. "Botulism." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 19 Sept. 2015. .
This article was written by the CDC, and is a government run site so it is credible.

It is also rather recent, only about a year and a half old. It’s not for profit, and is simply there to inform the public about botulism. The CDC is run by doctors and other lab specialists who have been doing extensive research in botulism as well as many other diseases, so they are well informed on the topic.

National Institute of Health. "Botox: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015. .

This site is run by the United States government, so it is credible. The site is not for profit; it is just for the purpose of informing the public. The article was the National Institute of Health. The NIH runs very many health based things country wide, and they are well informed and qualified to write on the subject.

Reddy, Pavani, and Thomas P. Bleck. "Botulinum Toxin as a Biological Weapon." Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (2010): 3993-994. Cdc.gov. CDC. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.

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This article was written by very qualified doctors from the CDC who wrote this paper to illustrate the way botulinum toxin works in the body, and inform how it could still be used as a biological weapon even though it is used for good as well now. Each of the contributors has written several books and papers about topics such as neurology and bacterial infections of the body. They are all qualified and this paper is sponsored by the CDC. It is credible.