Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.1.1.7 (acetylcholinesterase)
28,390 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The effect of the cholinesterase inhibitors tacrine and donepezil on A beta(25-35)-induced toxicity was investigated in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells by measuring the mitochondrial activity. Tacrine and donepezil was found in clinical relevant concentrations (10(-7)-10(-6) M) to attenuate A beta(25-35)-induced toxicity in PC12 cells. The neuroprotective effect of tacrine was blocked in the presence of the nicotinic antagonists mecamylamine (10(-5) M) and tubocurarine (10(-5) M), suggesting an interaction via nicotinic receptors. This study demonstrates that tacrine and donepezil can exert neuroprotective properties which might be of importance and contribute to the clinical efficacy of cholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
...
PMID:Tacrine and donepezil attenuate the neurotoxic effect of A beta(25-35) in rat PC12 cells. 963 59

Comparative effects of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) huperzine A with E2020 and tacrine on the radial maze performance in ethylcholine mustard aziridinium ion (AF64A)-treated rat and inhibition of cholinesterase activity were studied. The intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of AF64A (3 nmol/side) caused significant impairment in the rat's ability to fulfill the partially baited maze paradigm. Oral huperzine A (0.5-0.8 mg/kg), E2020 (1.0-2.0 mg/kg), and tacrine (8.0 mg/kg) effectively reversed AF64A-induced working memory deficit. The doses that improved AF64A-induced memory deficit were correlated to about 25-30% (huperzine A) and less than 10% (E2020, tacrine) inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the cortex and hippocampus. Huperzine A, E2020 and tacrine all produced dose-dependent inhibition of brain AChE following i.c.v. and oral administration. Oral huperzine A exhibited higher efficacy on the inhibition of AChE in the cortex and hippocampus than those of E2020 and tacrine. Tacrine was more effective in inhibiting plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) than it was brain AChE. Conversely, the BuChE activity was less affected by huperzine A and E2020. The results showed that huperzine A had high bioavailability and more selective inhibition on AChE activity in cortex and hippocampus. Huperzine A fits more closely with the established criteria for an ideal AChE inhibitor to be used in clinical studies.
...
PMID:Comparative studies of huperzine A, E2020, and tacrine on behavior and cholinesterase activities. 963 20

The potency of a series of anticholinesterase (anti-ChE) agents and serotonin-related amines as inhibitors of the aryl acylamidase (AAA) activity associated with electric eel acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (EC 3.1.1.7) and horse serum butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) (EC 3.1.1.8) was examined and compared with the potency of the same compounds as ChE inhibitors. Neostigmine, physostigmine, BW 284C51, (+/-)-huperzine A, E2020, tacrine, edrophonium and heptyl-physostigmine were, in that order, the most potent in inhibiting eel AChE-associated AAA activity, their inhibitor constant (Ki) values being in the range 0.02-0.37 microM. The rank order of the same compounds as AChE inhibitors basically paralleled that of AAA, although they were in general stronger on AChE (Ki = 0.001-0.05). The peripheral anionic site inhibitors propidium and gallamine were inactive on AChE-associated AAA. Serotonin and its derivatives were slightly stronger on AAA (Ki = 7.5-30 microM) than on AChE (Ki = 20-140 microM). Tacrine (IC50 = 0.03 microM), diisopropylfluorophosphate (IC50 = 0.04 microM), heptyl-physostigmine (IC50 = 0.11 microM), physostigmine (IC50 = 0.15 microM) and tetra-iso-propylpyrophosphoramide (iso-OMPA) (IC50 = 0.75 microM) were the most potent in inhibiting horse serum BuChE-associated AAA activity. Serotonin and related amines were very weak on BuChE-associated AAA activity. These results indicate that the inhibitory potencies of the active site anti-ChE agents on the AAA activity associated with eel AChE and horse serum BuChE are closely correlated with their action on the respective ChE. In addition, the efficacy of tacrine, E2020, heptyl-physostigmine and (+/-)-huperzine A in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease is unlikely to be related to the action of these drugs on ChE-associated AAA.
...
PMID:Inhibition of cholinesterase-associated aryl acylamidase activity by anticholinesterase agents: focus on drugs potentially effective in Alzheimer's disease. 963 11

The safety of tacrine (Cognex), a centrally active, reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor approved in 1993 for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer type, was evaluated in 2,706 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) in clinical trials and in 9861 patients with AD in a treatment investigational new drug (TIND) program. More than 190,000 patients in the United States received tacrine during the first 2 years following marketing approval. The most common tacrine-associated adverse events were elevated liver transaminase levels [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and, to a lesser degree, aspartate aminotransferase] and peripheral cholinergic events involving primarily the digestive system (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia, anorexia, and weight loss). Based on clinical trial experience, potentially clinically significant (>3 x upper limit of normal) ALT elevations occurred in 25% of patients, requiring routine monitoring early in treatment. The elevations were almost always asymptomatic, rarely accompanied by significant increases in bilirubin, and related to time on drug rather than to dose (90% occurred within the first 12 weeks of treatment). Gastrointestinal events were related to dose and generally of mild to moderate intensity. Tacrine-associated events, including ALT elevations, were reversible. Cholinergic events were manageable with dosage adjustment. Tacrine was not associated with permanent liver injury in clinical trials or a TIND setting.
...
PMID:Safety of tacrine: clinical trials, treatment IND, and postmarketing experience. 965 Nov 38

Centrally acting cholinergic agents are currently reported to increase blood pressure in various species through the stimulation of muscarinic cholinoceptors. Moreover, several cardiovascular adverse effects have been reported from clinical studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tacrine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor which has been reported to have therapeutic potential in Alzheimer's disease, on blood pressure and two vasopressor systems (sympathetic and vasopressinergic) in Beagle dogs. Intravenous (i.v.) tacrine (2 mg kg(-1)) induced, in conscious and anesthetized dogs, an increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, accompanied by bradycardia. This increase was dose-dependent with a peak effect at 1.5 min following administration. Tacrine also induced an increase in noradrenaline, adrenaline and vasopressin plasma levels. Pretreatment with the muscarinic receptor antagonist, atropine (2 mg kg(-1), i.v.), abolished the pressor response to i.v. injection of tacrine while pretreatment with the peripheral muscarinic receptor antagonist, methylscopolamine (0.2 mg kg(-1), i.v.), did not alter the increase in blood pressure. Similarly, noradrenaline and adrenaline changes in plasma levels were not modified by methylscopolamine but were abolished by atropine pretreatment. A similar tendency although not significant was observed for vasopressin plasma levels. The present results demonstrate that in dogs, tacrine (2 mg kg(-1), i.v.) stimulates central muscarinic cholinoceptors to increase blood pressure through activation of the two components of the sympathetic nervous system (i.e., neuroneuronal noradrenergic and the neurohormonal adrenergic pathways) as well as through increasing noradrenaline, adrenaline and vasopressin plasma levels.
...
PMID:Central cardiovascular effects of tacrine in the conscious dog: a role for catecholamines and vasopressin release. 965 34

This review starts with an historical background of the pharmacological development of tacrine almost fifty years ago (1949). Tacrine is the first drug to be tested, clinically, on a large scale and to be registered (1993) for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. For the first time, clinical results of four second generation cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) (donepezil, ENA 713, eptastigmine and metrifonate) are reviewed and compared with other ChEI such as tacrine, physostigmine and galanthamine. Data based on more than 6000 patients show that second generation drugs are well tolerated and show evidence of clinical efficacy. Differences are mainly due to frequency of side effects, number of drop outs and percentage of improved patients. These results also demonstrate the presence of clinical efficacy for all ChEI tested so far. Clinical mechanism of action, levels of efficacy and differences among various ChEI are discussed. Future potential indications are suggested. The present data indicate that optimization of effects prolongation and maintenance of clinical gains will depend on further knowledge of the compounds pharmacodynamic properties.
...
PMID:Invited review: Cholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease therapy: from tacrine to future applications. 967 39

Lu 25-109 [5-(2-ethyl-2H-tetrazol-5-yl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-1-methylpyridine] , has M agonistic and M2/M3 antagonistic effects at muscarinic receptors in vitro; a pharmacological profile that may be beneficial in treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we compare functional in vivo effects of Lu 25-109 and reference compounds in animal models of muscarinic cholinergic function. Lu 25-109 substituted completely for the discriminative stimulus effects of (-)-7-methyl-3-(2-propynyloxy)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisothiazolo -[4, 5-c]pyridine (Lu 26-046), a partial M1/M2 agonist, but only weakly for the effects of the non-selective M1/M2/M3 agonist 3-methoxy-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-isoxazolo[4, 5-c] pyridine (O-Me-THPO). Lu 25-109 did not reverse O-Me-THPO-induced discriminative stimulus. Tacrine did not substitute for any of the training drugs. Lu 25-109 did not substitute in (-)-nicotine trained rats. Lu 25-109 did not antagonize oxotremorine-induced hypothermia, tremor and salivation in mice and antagonized physostigmine-induced lethality with low potency. Unlike non-selective muscarinic agonists and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, Lu 25-109 did not induce hypothermia, tremor or salivation in mice. Spontaneous locomotor activity and motor co-ordination were inhibited only at high doses. Lu 25-109 had no effect on mean blood pressure in anaesthetized rats. Lu 25-109 and O-Me-THPO produced a significant increase in heart rate. The maximum increase was 37%. In anaesthetized cats, increasing i.v. doses of Lu 25-109 were without effect on the mean blood pressure, except for a short lasting (<2 min) depressor effect following the IV injection. Furthermore, Lu 25-109 did not attenuate the reflex mechanisms restoring blood pressure following orthostasis in cats. In conclusion, the drug discrimination studies suggest a unique activity profile of Lu 25-109, and the in vivo profile suggests none or a very low frequency of unwanted cholinergic mediated effects.
...
PMID:In vivo muscarinic cholinergic mediated effects of Lu 25-109, a M1 agonist and M2/M3 antagonist in vitro. 968

The effect of long-term treatment with tacrine (tetrahydroaminoacridine) was studied in three Alzheimer patients (aged 57, 64, and 68 years) with mild dementia. All three patients had a Mini-Mental State Examination score of 24/30 and carried at least one apolipoprotein E (ApoE) epsilon4 allele. Tacrine was given in doses between 80 and to 160 mg daily for 13-31 months. A lower tacrine concentration was observed generally in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) compared with plasma. The acetylcholinesterase activity in CSF tended to be increased following longer periods of tacrine treatment, whereas the butyrylcholinesterase activity was decreased. The three patients repeatedly underwent positron emission tomography investigation of cerebral blood flow, nicotinic receptors, cerebral glucose metabolism, and electroencephalogram (EEG) and cognitive tests. Positive influences on these parameters were observed following both short-term and long-term treatment with tacrine. Improvement of nicotinic receptors (measured as 11C-nicotine binding), cerebral blood flow, EEG, and some cognitive tests (trail making test, block design test) occurred earlier after initiation of tacrine treatment compared with the glucose metabolism, which was increased after several months of tacrine treatment. An improvement in attention (trail making test) was observed following tacrine as sign for frontal lobe activation (EEG). The functional effects of tacrine in Alzheimer patients appeared to be related to both dose and length of cholinesterase inhibitor treatment.
...
PMID:Long-term tacrine treatment in three mild Alzheimer patients: effects on nicotinic receptors, cerebral blood flow, glucose metabolism, EEG, and cognitive abilities. 977 28

Tacrine (1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-9-aminoacridine), a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor, was effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In turn, desferrioxamine (DFO), a chelating agent with ability to chelate iron and aluminum (Al), produced a 50% decrease in the rate of cognitive decline in patients with AD. Since combined therapy with tacrine and DFO might be more effective than individual administration of these drugs for the treatment of AD patients, this study evaluated the toxic effects of concomitant administration of tacrine and DFO to rats. Three groups of 8 rats each received the following treatments for 8 w: 80 mg DFO/kg/d i.m., 7.5 mg tacrine/kg/d po, or 80 mg DFO/kg/d i.m. +7.5 mg tacrine/kg/d po. A control group received distilled water by gavage daily and a 0.9% saline injection i.m. The administration of DFO + tacrine for 8 w did not increase most of the side effects caused by the individual DFO or tacrine administrations. These results open the possibility of considering the effectiveness of simultaneous administration of DFO and tacrine as a palliative treatment for AD patients.
...
PMID:Effects of simultaneous administration of desferrioxamine and tacrine in rats. 977 61

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by degeneration of various structures in the brain, with development of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Deficiencies of acetylcholine and other neurotransmitters also occur. Pharmacologic treatment of the disease generally seeks to correct the histopathology, the biochemical derangements or their effects. The only drugs labeled to date for the treatment of cognitive symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease are two cholinesterase inhibitors that prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine in the synapse. Both medications are associated with modest improvements in cognitive function. However, all benefit is lost when these drugs are discontinued; the disease then progresses to the level seen in placebo-treated patients. Tacrine, the first cholinesterase inhibitor to be so labeled, must be taken four times daily and is associated with hepatic toxicity. Donepezil is taken once daily. Side effects of the cholinesterase inhibitors include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, which tend to subside after the titration period. Other drugs that have shown some promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are vitamin E, estrogen, selegiline and a mixture of ergoloid mesylates. Anti-inflammatory drugs and nicotine are also being studied for their effects as neuroprotectors or neurotransmitter enhancers. The caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease may see little effect from these or other investigational agents, but nursing home placement may be delayed.
...
PMID:New drugs for Alzheimer's disease. 978 82


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>