Anticholinesterases

Abstract

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) are known serine hydrolase enzymes responsible for the hydrolysis of acetylcholine (ACh). Although the role of AChE in cholinergic transmission is well known, the role of BChE has not been elucidated sufficiently. The hydrolysis of acetylcholine in the synaptic healthy brain cells is mainly carried out by AChE; it is accepted that the contribution to the hydrolysis of BChE is very low, but both AChE and BChE are known to play an active role in neuronal development and cholinergic transmission. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a muscle disease characterized by weakness in skeletal muscles and rapid fatigue. Anticholinesterases, which are not only related to the immune origin of the disease but also have only symptomatic benefit, have an indispensable role in the treatment of MG. Pyridostigmine, distigmine, neostigmine, and ambenonium are the standard anticholinesterase drugs used in the symptomatic treatment of MG. All of these compounds may increase the response of the myasthenic muscle to recurrent nerve impulses, primarily by protecting the endogenous ACh.