Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Aug;22(8):871-86.
doi: 10.1517/13543776.2012.701620. Epub 2012 Jul 6.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: a patent review (2008 - present)

Miroslav Pohanka  1
Affiliations
Review

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: a patent review (2008 - present)

Miroslav Pohanka. Expert Opin Ther Pat. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) are present in the body in large amounts. AChE is an important part of the cholinergic nervous system taking place in the central and peripheral nervous system. AChE is a target of several toxins such as insecticide carbofuran, nerve agents, sarin, soman, tabun and VX. Beside toxins, drugs for treatment of Alzheimer's disease and myasthenia gravis, such as galantamine, donepezil, rivastigmine, tacrine, huperzine, pyridostigmine and neostigmine, are known.

Areas covered: The review gives an overview of the importance of the cholinergic nervous system, the biochemistry of AChE and the role of AChE inhibitors. Current efforts to introduce potent drugs for Alzheimer's disease therapy and reduce toxicity, while keeping the maximal pharmacological effect, are also discussed.

Expert opinion: The current research effort into AChE inhibitors can be divided into two categories. First, new toxins useful for agricultural purposes and second, novel drugs that need to be prepared, although there is less interest in the new toxins. The research for drugs for Alzheimer's disease needs to focus on inhibitors that reduce the deposition of amyloid plaques, but do not initiate AChE expression.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

-