Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.1.1.8 (cholinesterase)
12,691 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

It has been revealed by the open field tests that Wistar male rats with a high motor activity exhibit elevated emotional reactivity and sensitivity to small doses of L-DOPA. This rat group was examined for acetylcholine (AC) metabolism according to choline acetyltransferase (CAT) and acetyl cholinesterase (ACE) activity in fractions of light (C) and heavy (D) synaptosomes of the hypothalamus and nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) in health and after three-fold administration of L-DOPA. In health, the D fraction of the NST demonstrated "non-classic" high activity of both enzymes. In view of this fact it may be assumed that terminals of the fibers of craniocerebral nerves IX and X are localized in that fraction. In the NST, L-DOPA produces a decrease of CAT and ACE activity and of protein content in the D fraction, which corresponds with inhibition of the function of the parasympathetic (AC-ergic) system in response to activation of the peripheral adrenergic system. In the C fraction of the NST, the analogous but opposiely directed changes are observable, which may be related to compensation of the peripheral effect produced by L-DOPA. In turn, the C and D fractions of hypothalamic synaptosomes manifest noticeable activation of ACE, with CAT activity and protein content being unchanged. In contrast to the NST, this phenomenon is not connected with the changes in the rate of AC synthesis. Therefore, the status of the AC system of hypothalamic synaptosomes does not correlate with its possible appearance on the NST and is thus not related to participation of the hypothalamus in regulation of vegetative functions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Biochemical aspects of the pathogenesis of autonomic and emotional disorders in functional disorders of the dopamine system]. 166 9

1 To evaluate the regional differences in cholinergic mechanisms in the stomach, innervation and receptor distribution were investigated by isometric tension recording, receptor binding assay and measurement of nerve-related enzyme activity in longitudinal and circular smooth muscle layers isolated from various regions of the pig stomach. 2 The response to transmural nerve stimulation (TMS) varied with the muscle layer and portion of stomach tested. Contraction was predominant in the smooth muscle from the pyloric antrum, relaxation in the corpus region. 3 The contraction to TMS was abolished by atropine (0.1-0.5 microM) and potentiated by physostigmine (1-2 microM). On the other hand, relaxation to TMS was unaffected by a combination of phentolamine and carteolol but was abolished by tetrodotoxin (TTX) (0.67-1.54 microM). In all preparations from various portions, physostigmine unmasked the contraction and atropine revealed the relaxation to TMS. 4 The activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and cholinesterase (ChE) was higher in longitudinal than in circular muscle layers and was also higher in the fundus than in any other portion. 5 The sensitivity (pD2 value) to acetylcholine (ACh) was higher in the longitudinal than in the circular muscle layers but did not differ largely among different regions of the stomach. The maximum response induced by ACh was also highest in longitudinal muscle of the fundus. In contrast, the population of muscarinic receptors, estimated from [3H]-QNB binding, increased from the fundic to pyloric portions. 6 These results suggest that there are regional differences in the responses to nerve stimulation in pig stomach, which are likely to depend partly on the quantitative differences in cholinergic nerve supply and in the responsiveness to ACh.
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PMID:Regional differences in cholinergic innervation and drug sensitivity in the smooth muscles of pig stomach. 193 84

An in vitro comparison demonstrated that the concentration of NIK-247 that inhibited cholinesterase (ChE) activities to half the normal level (ID50) was 1.3 x 10(-6) M. This value was higher than those for both physostigmine (PHY; 1.2 x 10(-7) M) and tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA; 3.6 x 10(-7) M), which are used as cholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of cholinergic deficits. Neither NIK-247 nor THA affected the activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). These inhibitions of ChE by NIK-247 and PHY lasted for 2 h, while that by THA lasted for over 4 h. In the effects of NIK-247 and PHY, the concentrations of intrastriatal acetylcholine (ACh) were changed in relation to the inhibition of the ChE activity. However, THA caused a transient increase in the ACh level lasting for only 2 h instead of inhibiting the enzyme activity for over 4 h. These findings suggest that NIK-247 is a drug with a similar profile in its effect on cholinergic neurons to PHY, the prototype drug among ChE inhibitors. The data indicate that NIK-247 may be useful as a drug for the treatment of central as well as peripheral deficits of the cholinergic mechanism.
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PMID:Effect of 9-amino-2,3,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-1H-cyclopenta-(b)-quinoline monohydrate hydrochloride (NIK-247) on cholinergic enzyme activity in rats. 194 90

Human placental explants were incubated in the presence of physostigmine (3.08 microM), and release of acetylcholine (ACh) and prostaglandin (PG) were measured in the fourth hour by bioassay and radioimmunoassay, respectively. The choline acetyltransferase inhibitor (2-benzoylethyl)trimethylammonium (100 microM, n = 6) significantly reduced ACh release by 36 +/- 6%, PGE2 release by 23 +/- 8% and PGF2 alpha release by 29 +/- 10%. The inhibitor of vesicular acetylcholine storage, vesamicol (100 microM, n = 7), significantly reduced ACh release by 22 +/- 4%, PGE2 release by 46 +/- 13% and PGF2 alpha release by 32 +/- 9%. In the absence of physostigmine, ACh release was reduced by 89 +/- 2%, whereas PG release did not change compared with that in the presence of physostigmine. The presence of atropine (14.4 microM) did not affect PG release. These results suggest that if there is a relationship between human placental production of ACh and PGs, it does not appear to depend on muscarinic receptor activation or the activity of placental cholinesterase.
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PMID:Effect of (2-benzoylethyl)trimethylammonium and vesamicol on acetylcholine and prostaglandin release from human placental explants. 195 36

Changes in the cholinergic, serotonergic, noradrenergic, dopaminergic, GABAergic and somatostatinergic neurons were investigated to determine their roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Markers for these systems were analyzed in postmortem brain samples from 20 patients with AD and 14 controls. In the CSF study, markers for the cholinergic neurons (choline esterase, ChE) and for the somatostatinergic neurons (somatostatin-like immunoreactivity, SLI) were assayed for 93 and 75 probable AD patients and 29 and 19 controls, respectively. Activity of choline acetyltransferase (CAT) was decreased by 50-85% in four cortical areas and hippocampus in patients with AD, but not in other areas of the brain, indicating a profound deficit in the function of cholinergic projections ascending from the nucleus basalis to the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in AD. Muscarinic receptor binding was reduced by 18% in the frontal cortex but not in other areas of the brain in AD. Serotonin (5HT) concentrations were reduced (by 21-37%) in hippocampal cortex, hippocampus and striatum; and 5HT metabolite levels were lowered (by 39-54%) in three cortical areas, thalamus and putamen in AD patients. Concentrations of noradrenaline (NA) were reduced (18-36%) in frontal and temporal cortex and putamen. These data imply that serotonergic and noradrenergic projections are also affected in AD but less than the cholinergic neurons. Dopamine (DA) concentrations in AD patients were reduced by 18-27% in temporal and hippocampal cortex and hippocampus, while HVA, the metabolite of DA, was unaltered. Glutamic acid decarboxylase activity was not altered in AD. SLI was decreased (28-42%) in frontal, temporal and parietal cortex, but not in thalamus and putamen in patients with AD. Frontal tangle scores correlated most strongly with cortical CAT activity reduction and less so with decreases of 5HT, NA and DA, indicating a closer correlation with the cholinergic changes and severity of AD than with other neurotransmitter deficiencies. ChE activity and SLI were reduced by 20% and 35%, respectively, in CSF of the whole group of AD patients as compared to the controls. Comparison of CSF findings between four subgroups of dementia severity indicated that the SLI was already reduced in the group of mildest AD (-31%), while ChE activity was not. Although ChE activity in CSF declined in relation to dementia severity, however, the maximal reduction was only modest (-30%). On the other hand, SLI in CSF showed only a slight further reduction (up to -41%) as the dementia become more severe.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Neurotransmitter changes in Alzheimer's disease: implications to diagnostics and therapy. 198 17

Partial deafferentation of the hippocampus was obtained by transection of unilateral partial fimbria-fornix. On the seventh postoperational day, there appeared in the lesioned hippocampus respectively a 72.5%, 45.7% and 52.2% reduction in acetylcholine content, choline acetyltransferase and cholinesterase activity. A concomitant 16.3%, 31.1% and 30.3% reduction in noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin content respectively was also observed, while amino acids content did not show any change. The results indicate that the cholinergic and monoaminergic afferents of the hippocampal formation in the rat reach their target regions via the fimbria-fornix.
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PMID:[Influence of septohippocampal lesion on the levels of some neurotransmitters and enzymes in the rat hippocampus]. 198 25

Brain homogenate, cerebral microvessels, and endothelial cells (ECs) were prepared from 15-18-week-old human fetuses and analyzed biochemically for the presence of elements of the cholinergic system [acetylcholinesterase (AChE), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and butyrylcholinesterase]. The ECs were cultured, and their purity was checked by light microscopic immunohistochemistry with the application of anti-human factor VIII and glial fibrillary acidic protein. The highest activity of ChAT was found in the brain homogenate and the lowest in the microvessel fraction. No ChAT activity could be detected in the cultured ECs, despite the presence of high AChE activity. It is suggested that human brain ECs may be under the control of acetylcholine released from cholinergic nerve terminals but that the cells do not produce the transmitter itself. In coculture experiments, when ECs were plated on the upper surface of a polycarbonate filter and glial cells were seeded on the lower surface, the electric resistance was measured. During the culture period, the resistance first increased up to 5 days in vitro (297 +/- 17 ohm.cm2) but later gradually declined. These results demonstrate that human ECs cocultured with glial cells provide a useful model for study of the function of the blood-brain barrier in vitro.
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PMID:Endothelial cells from human fetal brain microvessels may be cholinoceptive, but do not synthesize acetylcholine. 202 20

The biochemical changes of the elements of cholinergic neurotransmission (choline acetyltransferase, ChAT; acetylcholinesterase, AChE; butyrylcholinesterase, BuChE; and muscarinic cholinergic receptors, mAChR) as well as the electrolyte content were studied in ischemic lumbar spinal cord segments of newborn pigs. Ischemia was elicited by ligating the aorta for 30 min. Although no significant changes were observed in the sodium, potassium and calcium content of ischemic spinal cords, the calcium content was slightly elevated, to 119.3% of the control value. Whereas significant depletions were observed in both AChE and ChAT activities (to 69.1 and 87.7% of the control value, respectively), there was no significant change in BuChE activity as compared to the control value. The mAChR were also decreased, from 33.25 +/- 2.2 to 27.18 +/- 1.9 fmol/mg protein, while the Kd value was not significantly altered. It is concluded that even a relatively brief interruption of the oxygen supply can cause severe damage in the lumbar spinal cord of the newborn pig, affecting the cholinergic neurotransmission elements. This animal model might be suitable for studying the effects of hypoxia in newborns and children during chest operations involving the descending aorta.
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PMID:Effects of ischemia on cholinergic neurotransmission and electrolyte content in newborn pig lumbar spinal cord. 215 20

This study sought to determine whether release of acetylcholine (ACh) within the C1 area of nucleus reticularis rostroventrolateralis (RVL) contributes to the tonic maintenance of arterial pressure (AP) in the rat. The activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the biosynthetic enzyme for ACh, varied 5.5-fold in micropunches of the 6 medullary regions examined. ChAT activity in the C1 area (179 +/- 35 nmol [14C]ACh formed/mg protein/60 min; n = 4) was intermediate between that of the hypoglossal nucleus (249 +/- 38; highest) and the pyramids (45 +/- 11; lowest) and equivalent to that found in the parietal cortex (147 +/- 15). Release of [3H]ACh from C1 area micropunches was increased by raising extracellular K+ concentrations (5-55 mM) and was entirely Ca2(+)-dependent. Muscarinic receptor binding density was assessed using [3H]quinuclidinyl benzylate ([3H]QNB) as ligand and a recently developed 'electronic micropunch' technique which allows measurement of quench-corrected [3H]QNB binding within corresponding cylinders of tissue obtained by the mechanical micropunch cannula. [3H]QNB binding density varied 2.6-fold: lateral reticular nucleus pars lateralis greater than C1 area greater than nucleus ambiguus = hypoglossal nucleus = pyramid = oral spinal trigeminal nucleus. In urethane-anesthetized rats, inhibition of ACh synthesis by hemicholinium-3 (HC-3, 3 nmol/50 nl), or blockade of muscarinic receptors by scopolamine (SCOP, 3 nmol/50 nl), reduced resting mean AP by 18-24 mm Hg following bilateral microinjection into the C1 area. These concentrations of HC-3 and SCOP were sufficient to attenuate by 70-80% the increase in local cholinergic neurotransmission elicited by the cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine given systemically. High concentrations of SCOP (30-150 nmol/50 nl) lowered AP by 46-60 mm Hg. Similarly, bilateral microinjections of GABA (10 nmol/50 nl) into the C1 area markedly reduced mean AP by 51 +/- 6 mm Hg to levels normally found after transection of the spinal cord. Thus, a substantial portion of tonic sympathetic activity may be driven by activation of muscarinic receptors in the C1 area. In the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), a genetic model of hypertension, neither spontaneous nor K(+)-evoked release of [3H]ACh from the C1 area differed from that of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Synthesis, release and receptor binding of acetylcholine in the C1 area of the rostral ventrolateral medulla: contributions in regulating arterial pressure. 233 21

We administered tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA), a cholinesterase inhibitor, to rats with bilateral nucleus basalis magnocellularis lesions and measured their performance in a spatial learning task. The subjects, 34 male Fischer-344 rats, received bilateral excitotoxic NBM lesions; 10 other rats served as unlesioned controls. Two weeks later the animals were tested in a circular water maze for time and distance swum to find a submerged platform. We tested three different doses (5.0, 2.5, and 1.25 mg/kg) of daily subcutaneous THA against a lesioned control group receiving saline and a fifth group of untreated unlesioned controls. The saline-treated lesioned group showed a significant impairment of acquisition. The 1.25 mg/kg group performed significantly better than the lesioned controls with respect to latency. Analysis of swim speed data showed slowing in the 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg groups. Analysis of the distance swum to find the platform, an untimed task that corrects for the difference in swim speeds, showed statistically significant improvement in all three treated groups. Additionally, spatial memory for the platform location was improved by two of the three doses of THA tested. Passive avoidance retention was not impaired by our lesion. All lesioned groups had comparable reductions of cortical choline acetyltransferase. Our data show significantly improved spatial learning with THA. These data provide an additional rationale for further clinical testing of THA and other centrally active cholinergic agents in diseases with cholinergic loss.
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PMID:Tetrahydroaminoacridine improves the spatial acquisition deficit produced by nucleus basalis lesions in rats. 235 Dec 10


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