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Type B carboxylesterases (acetylcholinesterases, neuropathy target esterase, serine peptidases), catalyse the hydrolysis of carboxyl-ester substrates by formation of a covalent acyl-enzyme intermediate and subsequent cleavage and release of the acyl group. Organophosphorus compounds, carbamates, and others exert their mechanism of neurotoxicity by permanent covalent organophosphorylation or carbamylation at the catalytic site of carboxylesterases. Classical kinetic studies converted the exponential kinetic equation to a logarithmic equation for graphic analysis. This process, however, does not allow analysing complex situations. In this paper, kinetic model equations are reviewed and strategies developed for the following cases: (a) single enzyme, with classical linear equation; (b) multi-enzymatic system-discriminating several inhibitor-sensitive and inhibitor-resistant components; (c) 'ongoing inhibition'-high sensitive enzymes can be significantly inhibited during the substrate reaction time, the model equations need a correction; (d) spontaneous reactivation (de-phosphorylation)-one or several components can be simultaneously inhibited and spontaneously reactivated; (e) spontaneous reactivation from starting time with the enzyme being partly or totally inhibited; (f) aging-single enzyme can be inhibited, spontaneously reactivated and dealkylating reaction ('aging') simultaneously occurs; and (g) aging and spontaneous reactivation from starting time with the enzyme being partly or totally inhibited. Analysis of data using the suggested equations allows the deduction of inhibition kinetic constants and the proportions of each of the enzymatic components. Strategies for practical application of the models and for obtaining consistent kinetic parameters, using multi-steps approaches or 3D fitting, are presented.

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Human serum albumin was able to hydrolyze the organophosphorus compounds paraoxon, chlorpyrifos-oxon, and diazoxon at toxicologically relevant concentrations. Human serum displayed two paraoxon hydrolyzing activities: the so-called paraoxonase, which is associated with the lipoprotein fraction and is calcium dependent and EDTA sensitive, and the activity associated with albumin, which is EDTA resistant and sensitive to fatty acids. Human serum albumin hydrolyzed these compounds with the same relative efficacy as lipoproteins (chlorpyrifos-oxon > diazoxon > paraoxon). The capability of detoxication of activity associated with human serum albumin was similar or even higher than paraoxonase associated with lipoproteins in the case of paraoxon at concentrations as low as those noted in an acute in vivo intoxication. However, paraoxonase activity associated with lipoprotein was more effective than paraoxonase activity associated with albumin at toxicologically relevant chlorpyrifos-oxon concentrations. These results explain why mice deficient in paraoxonase associated with lipoprotein are not more sensitive to paraoxon than wild animals.

Organophosphorus compounds (OPs) are a large and diverse class of chemicals mainly used as pesticides and chemical weapons. People may be exposed to OPs in several occasions, which can produce several distinct neurotoxic effects depending on the dose, frequency of exposure, type of OP, and the host factors that influence susceptibility and sensitivity. These neurotoxic effects are mainly due to the interaction with enzyme targets involved in toxicological or detoxication pathways. In this work, the toxicological relevance of known OPs targets is reviewed. The main enzyme targets of OPs have been identified among the serine hydrolase protein family, some of them decades ago (e.g. AChE, BuChE, NTE and carboxylesterases), others more recently (e.g. lysophospholipase, arylformidase and KIA1363) and others which are not molecularly identified yet (e.g. phenylvalerate esterases). Members of this family are characterized by displaying serine hydrolase activity, containing a conserved serine hydrolase motif and having an alpha-beta hydrolase fold. Improvement in Xray-crystallography and in silico methods have generated new data of the interactions between OPs and esterases and have established new methods to study new inhibitors and reactivators of cholinesterases. Mass spectrometry for AChE, BChE and APH have characterized the active site serine adducts with OPs being useful to detect biomarkers of OPs exposure and inhibitory and postinhibitory reactions of esterases and OPs. The purpose of this review is focus specifically on the interaction of OP with esterases, mainly with type B-esterases, which are able to hydrolyze carboxylesters but inhibited by OPs by covalent phosphorylation on the serine or tyrosine residue in the active sites. Other related esterases in some cases with no-irreversible effect are also discussed. The understanding of the multiple molecular interactions is the basis we are proposing for a multi-target approach for understanding the organophosphorus toxicity.

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