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Cholinesterase inhibitor

Cholinesterase inhibitor: Encyclopedia - Cholinesterase inhibitor

A cholinesterase inhibitor or anticholinesterase is a chemical that inhibits a cholinesterase enzyme from breaking down acetylcholine, so increasing both the level and duration of action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Anticholinesterases occur naturally as venoms and poisons, are used as weapons in the form of nerve agents, and are used medicinally to treat diseases such as myasthenia gravis and Alzheimer's disease, and as an antidote to anticholinergic poisoning. In myastheni ...

Cholinesterase inhibitor, Pesticide poisoning

Cholinesterase inhibitor: Encyclopedia - Cholinesterase inhibitor

Cholinesterase inhibitor

A cholinesterase inhibitor or anticholinesterase is a chemical that inhibits a cholinesterase enzyme from breaking down acetylcholine, so increasing both the level and duration of action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Anticholinesterases occur naturally as venoms and poisons, are used as weapons in the form of nerve agents, and are used medicinally to treat diseases such as myasthenia gravis and Alzheimer's disease, and as an antidote to anticholinergic poisoning. In myasthenia gravis, they are used to increase neuromuscular transmission.

Compounds which function as reversible competitive or noncompetitive inhibitors of cholinesterase are those most likely to have therapeutic uses. These include:

Organophosphates
- metrifonate
Carbamates
- physostigmine
- neostigmine
- pyridostigmine
- ambenonium
- demarcarium
- rivastigmine
Phenanthrine derivatives
- galantamine
Piperidines
- donepezil, also known as E2020
Tacrine, also known as tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA')
Edrophonium

Compounds which function as quasi-irreversible inhibitors of cholinesterase are those most likely to have use as chemical weapons or pesticides. These include:

Organophosphates
- echothiophate
- isoflurophate
- diisopropyl fluorophosphate
- cyclosarin
- sarin
- soman
- tabun
- VX
- VE
- VG
- VM
- diazinon
- malathion
- parathion
Carbamates
- aldicarb
- bendiocarb
- bufencarb
- carbaryl
- carbendazim
- carbetamide
- carbofuran
- chlorbufam
- chloropropham
- ethiofencarb
- formetanate
- methiocarb
- methomyl
- oxamyl
- phenmedipham
- pinmicarb
- pirimicarb
- propamocarb
- propham
- propoxur

Some major effects of anticholinesterase:

Actions on the autonomic nervous system, that is parasympathetic nervous system will cause bradycardia, hypotension, hypersecretion, bronchoconstriction, GIT hypermotility, and decrease intraocular pressure.

Actions on the neuromuscular junction will result in prolonged muscle contraction.

Alzheimer's disease, Anticholinesterases, Carbamates, Edrophonium, Organophosphates, Pesticide poisoning, Piperidines, Tacrine, VE, VG, VM, VX, acetylcholine, aldicarb, anticholinergic, carbaryl, carbendazim, carbofuran, chemical, chemical weapons, cholinesterase, competitive, cyclosarin, diazinon, diisopropyl fluorophosphate, donepezil, echothiophate, enzyme, galantamine, isoflurophate, malathion, myasthenia gravis, neostigmine, nerve agents, neurotransmitter, noncompetitive inhibitors, parathion, pesticides, physostigmine, poisons, pyridostigmine, rivastigmine, sarin, soman, tabun, venoms

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Cholinesterase inhibitor", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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