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)

Tacrine is a cholinesterase inhibitor with activity in the central nervous system originally marketed for the reversal of competitive neuromuscular blockade. Because a marked reduction in cholinergic neurons is a hallmark of brain changes in Alzheimer disease, tacrine has been studied in two placebo-controlled clinical trials of patients with probable Alzheimer disease. Standard analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) have shown a difference between the tacrine group and the placebo group in terms of the cognitive component of the Alzheimer disease assessment scale at the end of the placebo-controlled phase. Due to limitations of ANOVA and ANCOVA, only a selected group of patients could be analyzed by those methods. A population pharmacodynamic model has been developed that allows the use of all observations from one or more trials to be combined. It can incorporate any sequence of active or placebo treatments and account for carryover effects of both placebo and active drug. The time courses of active or placebo treatment response and the development of tolerance to active drug or placebo can be defined. The model describes disease progression without treatment, the placebo effect, and the effect of tacrine as a function of daily dose. Placebo effect and active drug effects are modeled by effect site concentration components.
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PMID:Methodologic aspects of a population pharmacodynamic model for cognitive effects in Alzheimer patients treated with tacrine. 145 35

An analytical method was developed with sensitivity to detect clinically significant concentrations of heptylphysostigmine (HP), a new physostigmine derivative with potent and long-lasting inhibitory activity on cholinesterase. HP, an experimental drug for Alzheimer disease, was measured in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection with use of a normal-phase column and acetonitrile buffer containing tetrahydrofuran and sodium acetate, pH 4.6. The limit of detection of the method was 0.125 ng/ml using a 2-ml sample of plasma. Analytical recovery of HP was 53.04 +/- 7.75% for plasma in the range 0.25-2.5 ng/ml. Stability studies conducted at 37 degrees C indicated that the drug was stable in 1 M hydrochloric acid, 1 M hydrogen peroxide and sodium acetate-buffered solution at pH 4 for at least 6 h but at pH 7 it degraded slightly to 79% at 6 h and was unstable in 1 M sodium hydroxide with only 9% of the parent compound remaining at 30 s. HP was stable when exposed to ultraviolet light at 22 degrees C or 100% relative humidity at 37 degrees C, with almost 80 and 75% of the parent compound remaining after 4 and 28 days, respectively. HP was stable in plasma at 4 degrees C for 0.25 h, and it slowly degraded to 56 and 28% of the original concentration by 1 and 2 h, respectively. HP was highly unstable in plasma at higher temperatures; at 22 and 37 degrees C it degraded immediately to 48 and 36% of the original concentration and was not detected after 0.5 and 0.25 h, respectively.
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PMID:Determination of heptylphysostigmine in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. 160 60

THA (9-amino, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine; tacrine) is currently under study as a cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitor in Alzheimer disease. In this study, a sensitive radiometric assay for THA inhibition of human plasma ChE, suitable for detection of effects of orally administered drug, is described. The assay is sensitive in a range of 4-50 ng/ml plasma. Reversibility of the inhibition permits distinguishing of drug effects on ChE from changes in amount of enzyme synthesized during treatment.
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PMID:Estimation of plasma tacrine concentrations using an in vitro cholinesterase inhibition assay. 278 91

We measured acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase activities in the lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 39 patients with dementia of Alzheimer type and 21 age-matched controls. The mean lumbar CSF AChE activity in our patients did not differ significantly from that of controls. The 7S and 11S molecular forms were also unchanged. When CSF was analyzed at six-month intervals, there was no significant decline in AChE activity over a span of 12 months. Our results and those of previous studies demonstrate that CSF AChE is not a useful diagnostic marker of Alzheimer disease.
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PMID:Cholinesterases in cerebrospinal fluid. A longitudinal study in Alzheimer disease. 382 96

Eight patients with early Alzheimer disease were treated with gradually increasing multiple daily doses of oral physostigmine and supplemental lecithin. Six individuals showed improvement in total recall and retrieval from long-term storage (LTR), with a decrease in intrusions (a measure of inaccurate recall). The optimal individual dose was either 2.0 or 2.5 mg of physostigmine for each responding patient. Results of this open trial were subsequently replicated during a double-blind crossover trial comparing physostigmine treatment to placebo. All six patients again demonstrated improvement in total recall and LTR, with a decrease in intrusions. The decrease in intrusions was strongly correlated with increasing inhibition of cholinesterase activity in cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting that the degree of improvement in the patient's memory was related to the amount of physostigmine that reached the brain. Other neurotransmitters and metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid were unaffected by the physostigmine therapy, suggesting a specific effect of physostigmine on the cholinergic system. The results suggest that small oral doses of physostigmine combined with lecithin ingestion have therapeutic benefit for some patients with Alzheimer disease.
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PMID:Oral physostigmine and lecithin improve memory in Alzheimer disease. 634 34

In previous investigations, we have demonstrated that cholinesterase inhibitors such as physostigmine (PHY) and heptylphysostigmine (HEP) elicit a significant and simultaneous increase in acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine (NE) levels in the rat cortex. This effect is enhanced by idazoxan, a selective alpha-2 antagonist. These data suggest that a combination of cholinergic and adrenergic drug may improve the pharmacological effect of the cholinesterase inhibitor on cortical neurotransmitters such as ACh-NE. In order to obtain additional information on cortical cortical neurotransmitter interaction, we tested, in the cerebral cortex of the rat, the effect of PHY and HEP in animals pretreated with clonidine (CLO), a selective alpha-2 agonist, on ACh, NE, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine) extracellular levels. We detected no effect of systemic or intracortical CLO administration of ACh levels, but NE, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels were all decreased. Systemic coadministration of CLO and PHY significantly elevated ACh levels and decreased NE, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels. Systemic coadministration of CLO and HEP produced a significant elevation in ACh levels. Comparison between the two treatment combinations shows that, although CLO coadministration reduces the effect of PHY on ACh levels, HEP administered to animals pretreated with CLO produces a stronger effect than HEP alone. A possible explanation for this difference is the variation in duration of the two drugs on ACh elevation and muscarinic receptor desensitization. As a result of the alpha-2 agonist cholinesterase inhibitor coadministration, our data suggest that such a combination does not represent an advantage as a therapeutical alternative for treatment of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease patients.
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PMID:Effects of cholinesterase inhibitors and clonidine coadministration on rat cortex neurotransmitters in vivo. 756 54

We examined whether cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) could alter the release of amyloid precursor protein (APP) from superfused brain cortical slices of the rat. Three ChEI, both reversible and irreversible, were tested for their ability to enhance the release of nonamyloidogenic soluble derivatives (APPs). These included: physostigmine (PHY), heptyl-physostigmine (HEP) and 2,2-dichloro-vinyldimethyl phosphate (DDVP), at concentrations producing cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition ranging from 5% to 95%. All three ChEI elevated APPs release significantly above control levels. Electrical field stimulation significantly increased the release of APPs within 50 min. Similar increase was observed after muscarinic receptor stimulation with bethanechol (BETHA). Tetrodotoxin (TTX) completely blocked the effect of electrical stimulation. These findings suggest that administration of ChEI to Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients may have a neuroprotective effect by activating normal APP processing.
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PMID:Cholinesterase inhibitors increase secretion of APPs in rat brain cortex. 760 15

Many theories have been advanced but the true physiological function for serum cholinesterase has still not been identified. Evidence has been presented for the abnormal expression of cholinesterase genes in many types of human tumors. Cholinesterase measurements are still used to monitor exposure to organophosphate insecticides and their clinical application requires a good understanding of the inter and intra-individual variation, as well as some knowledge of the time sequence between exposure and measurement of the cholinesterase activity. The use of serum cholinesterase measurement in liver disease varies in different countries. A case has not been made for the cost-effectiveness of adding serum cholinesterase as part of a screening procedure for the diagnosis of liver disease. During the last 10 years much information has been obtained on the molecular biology and genetics of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, distinct enzymes encoded by two different, but related genes. It has been established that BChE is included by a single gene which corresponds to the E1 locus. The complete amino acid sequence of human serum cholinesterase and the location of disulfide bonds within the sequence have been described. The molecular basis of many variants of human serum cholinesterase has been described in detail. It is not rare for multiple mutations to occur within a single butyrylcholinesterase gene or there may be combination of mutations. At least 11 silent variants of human butyrylcholinesterase have been identified. There still exists a wide variety of substrates and analytical conditions for butyrylcholinesterase measurement in a number of clinical situations. No real evidence has been provided for clinical value for their use in the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease or monitoring the use of cholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of pre-senile dementia of Alzheimer type. However, the insights from molecular biology technology may well open up more challenges in a variety of clinical situations.
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PMID:Clinical and analytical considerations in the utilization of cholinesterase measurements. 766 82

Transection of the fimbria-fornix bundle in adult rats results in degeneration of the septohippocampal cholinergic pathway, reminiscent of that occurring in aging as well as Alzheimer disease. We report here a study of the effect of a treatment with acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) in three-month-old Fischer 344 rats bearing a partial unilateral fimbria-fornix transection. ALCAR is known to ameliorate some morphological and functional disturbances in the aged central nervous system (CNS). We used choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) as markers of central cholinergic function, and nerve growth factor (NGF) levels as indicative of the trophic regulation of the medio-septal cholinergic system. ChAT and AChE activities were significantly reduced in the hippocampus (HIPP) ipsilateral to the lesion as compared to the contralateral one, while no changes were observed in the septum (SPT), nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) or frontal cortex (FCX). ALCAR treatment restored ChAT activity in the ipsilateral HIPP, while AChE levels were not different from those of untreated animals, and did not affect NGF content in either SPT or HIPP.
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PMID:Acetyl-L-carnitine restores choline acetyltransferase activity in the hippocampus of rats with partial unilateral fimbria-fornix transection. 779 6

The amyloid beta-protein (A beta) of Alzheimer's disease is derived from a family of large integral membrane glycoproteins, beta-amyloid precursor proteins (beta APP). Two secretory proteolytic pathways are involved in the metabolism of beta APP. The major pathway involves cleavage within the A beta sequence and generates carboxyl-truncated derivatives of beta APP which are secreted into the conditioned medium of cells. The minor 'amyloidogenic' pathway results in the production of A beta. Here, cell cultures were used to examine the metabolism of beta APP by tacrine, a centrally active cholinesterase inhibitor reported to improve cognitive deficits. Treatment with tacrine in cells resulted in the drastic inhibition of secretion of the major isoforms of beta APP into the medium. The effect of tacrine can be reversed by washing away the drug from the cells. Treatment with tacrine did not change the level of either HSP-70 or LDH. Thus, the inhibitory effect of tacrine on the secretion of beta APP was not due to the permanent damage or loss of cells as normal release of beta APP could be restored when the drug was washed away.
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PMID:Reversibility of the effect of tacrine on the secretion of the beta-amyloid precursor protein in cultured cells. 789 57


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