Acetylcholine •cholinesterase complex

Albuquerque EX, Aracava Y, Cintra WM, Brossi A, Schonenberger B, Deshpande SS. Structure-activity relationship of reversible cholinesterase inhibitors activation, channel blockade and stereospecificity of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-ion channel complex. Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res. 21 1173-1196, 1988. 

Reversible cholinesterase inhibitors form a transition state complex with the enzyme, just as acetylcholine does. These compounds are in competition with acetylcholine in binding with the active sites of the enzyme. The chemical stracture of classic, reversible inhibitors physostigmine and neostigmine shows their similarity to acetylcholine. Edrophonium is also a reversible inhibitor. These compounds have a high affinity with the enzyme, and their inhibitory action is reversible. These inhibitors differ from acetylcholine in that they are not easily broken down by enzymes. Enzymes are reactivated much slower than it takes for subsequent hydrolysis of acetylcholine to happen. Therefore, the pharmacological effect caused by these compounds is reversible. 

As given in classification, these agents are of two type e.g. reversible and irreversible. The reversible anticholinesterases have a structural resemblance to acetylcholine, are capable of combining with anionic and esteratic sites of cholinesterase as well as with acetylcholine receptor. The complex formed with the esteratic site of cholinesterase is less readily hydrolyzed than the acetyl esteratic site complex formed with acetylcholine. Edrophonium forms reversible complex with the anionic site and has shorter duration of action. Also, neostigmine and edrophonium have a direct stimulating action at cholinergic sites. 

Fig. 13. Schematic illustration of the ES complex formed by true cholinesterase with acetylcholine.

Rao, K.S., Aracava, Y., Rickett, D.L., Albuquerque, E.X. (1987). Noncompetitive blockade of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-ion channel complex by an irreversible cholinesterase inhibitor. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 240 337-44. 

Shaw, K.P. et al.. The reversible cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine has channel-blocking and agonist effects on the acetylcholine receptor-ion channel complex. Mol. Pharmacol., 28, 527, 1985. 

Hase (H16) studied the effect of pH on the hydrolysis of acetylcholine by horse serum cholinesterase, and his results have been reanalyzed by Laidler (L5) and extensively discussed by Dixon and Webb (D21). The relationship between pH and the rate of hydrolysis of acetylcholine has been used to obtain information on the structure of the active site of the enzyme (B19, W28). Acetylcholine is a particularly suitable substrate for these studies since it does not change its charge in the pH range studied. Similar pH-activity curves have been obtained using other substrates for cholinesterase (H23, S20, P19). Moreover the pH dependence of enzymic activity varies with the buffer system (K3). By investigating the effect of pH and sodium chloride concentration on the rate of hydrolysis of ben-zoylcholine by human plasma cholinesterase, Kalow (K6) deduced that for this substrate, each enzyme molecule contains at least two binding sites which differ in their dependence on pH. Michaelis constants and maximum hydrolysis velocities were measured for each of the two binding sites, and pK values of the enzyme-substrate complexes were found to be 5.2, 6.7, and 9.2 for one site, and 5.2, 7.0, 8.4, and 8.8 for the other. 

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