Possible role of the cholinergic system and disease models

Non-neuronal Role of Acetylcholinesterase in Bone Development and Degeneration

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme catalyzing the degradation of acetylcholine, plays an important suppressive role in the cholinergic regulation by terminating the action of acetylcholine. The expression of acetylcholinesterase and other cholinergic components is not restricted to only brain and nerve tissues but can also be found in non-neuronal tissues like the immune system and bone tissue. Primary identification of these components has been achieved. However, the information about their specific functions and underlying molecular mechanisms in bone remains scattered. Here, the physiological process of bone development, homeostasis, and degeneration are introduced. Next, the cholinergic system and its expression in bone tissue is documented. Among them, special attention goes to AChE, as the structure of this enzyme suggests diverse binding affinities, enabled by a peripheral site and a catalytic site. The peripheral site supports the non-enzymatic function of AChE in non-neuronal systems. Based on recent studies, the non-neuronal roles of acetylcholinesterase, both enzymatically and non-enzymatically, in bone development, homeostasis and degeneration are summarized briefly together with potential mechanisms to support these functions. We conclude that AChE may be a potential therapeutic target for bone diseases like osteoporosis.

The role of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as neostigmine and rivastigmine on chronic pain and cognitive function in aging: A review of recent clinical applications

Chronic pain in patients with Alzheimer's disease or dementia is a complex issue in the medical field; these patients suffer from the common causes of chronic pain, especially in geriatric medicine. To ensure the correct type and level of given treatment, medical care should be taken to avoid the contribution of chronic pain and cognitive impairment in the elderly population. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChE-Is) have been proven as an efficient therapeutic resource for significant improvement in dementia of Alzheimer's disease and chronic pain due to the fact that cholinergic deficit is considered as an early finding in cognitive impairment and persisting pain. Some AChE-Is are investigated here in terms of treatment of dementia and chronic pain management. Neostigmine has been used as an adjunct analgesic in the postoperative period and in combination with other analgesic medications in an intrathecal approach. Rivastigmine has, over the past ten years, become the approved agent for the management of dementia of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and has gained approval for treating different types of non-Alzheimer's dementia. In this review, we will focus on the two types of AChE-Is (rivastigmine and neostigmine) in the development of their clinical use and their respective mechanisms of actions on improving cognitive function and managing chronic pain.

Antioxidant and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activity of Teucrium hyrcanicum

Background:

Teucrium hyrcanicum belonging to the Lamiaceae family is a native plant in Iran; it is called Maryam nokhodi-e-jangali in Farsi.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to evaluate acetylcholinesterase inhibition (AChEI), antioxidant activity and flavonoids content of T. hyrcanicum methanol extract.

Materials and Methods:

The air-dried and the ground aerial parts of T. hyrcanicum were extracted by percolation method with methanol. Antioxidant activity of the extract was investigated by using 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) methods. In addition, AChEI and flavonoid content of T. hyrcanicum methanol extract were measured.

Results:

The results showed that total flavonoid content of T. hyrcanicum in reference to the standard curve for quercetin was 20.70 ± 0.05 mg quercetin equivalents/g of extract. In the FRAP method, the antioxidant activity of T. hyrcanicum extract and butyl hydroxyanisole (BHA) (as a positive control) were 657.5 ± 0.04 and 880 ± 0.06 mmol Fe II/1 g dried extract. According to results of DPPH assay, half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value for DPPH radical-scavenging activities of T. hyrcanicum methanol extract, vitamin E and BHA were 74.6, 14.12 and 7.8 μg/mL, respectively. IC₅₀ value for AChEI of T. hyrcanicum and donepezil as a positive control were 2.12 mg/mL and 0.013 mg/mL.

Conclusion:

The results of the present study showed T. hyrcanicum is a natural antioxidant that the flavonoid content can be responsible for extract effects.

Virtual screening and biological evaluation of piperazine derivatives as human acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

The piperazine derivatives have been shown to inhibit human acetylcholinesterase. Virtual screening by molecular docking of piperazine derivatives 1-(1,4-benzodioxane-2-carbonyl) piperazine (K), 4-(4-methyl)-benzenesulfonyl-1-(1,4-benzodioxane-2-carbonyl) piperazine (S1), and 4-(4-chloro)-benzenesulfonyl-1-(1,4-benzodioxane-2-carbonyl) piperazine (S3) has been shown to bind at peripheral anionic site and catalytic sites, whereas 4-benzenesulfonyl-1-(1,4-benzodioxane-2-carbonyl) piperazine (S4) and 4-(2,5-dichloro)-benzenesulfonyl-1-(1,4-benzodioxane-2-carbonyl) piperazine (S7) do not bind either to peripheral anionic site or catalytic site with hydrogen bond. All the derivatives have differed in number of H-bonds and hydrophobic interactions. The peripheral anionic site interacting molecules have proven to be potential therapeutics in inhibiting amyloid peptides aggregation in Alzheimer's disease. All the piperazine derivatives follow Lipinski's rule of five. Among all the derivatives 1-(1,4-benzodioxane-2-carbonyl) piperazine (K) was found to have the lowest TPSA value.

Pharmacological Evaluation and Docking Studies of 3-Thiadiazolyl- and Thioxo-1,2,4-triazolylcoumarin Derivatives as Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is considered a promising strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This research project aims to provide a comprehensive knowledge of newly synthesized coumarin analogues with anti-AD potential. In the present work a series of 3-thiadiazolyl- and thioxo-1,2,4-triazolylcoumarins derivatives were designed, synthesized, and tested as potent inhibitors of cholinesterases. These compounds were assayed against AChE from electrophorus electricus and rabbit; and BChE from horse serum and rabbit by Ellman's method using neostigmine methylsulphate and donepezil as reference drugs. Some of the assayed compounds proved to be potent inhibitors of AChE and BChE with K_i values in the micromolar range. 4b was found to be the most active compound with K_i value 0.028 ± 0.002 μM and higher selectivity for AChE/BChE. The ability of 4b to interact with AChE was further confirmed through computational studies, in which a primary binding was proved to occur at the active gorge site, and a secondary binding was revealed at the peripheral anionic site. Structure activity relationships of prepared compounds were also discussed.

Cholinesterase inhibitors improve both memory and complex learning in aged beagle dogs

Similar to patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), dogs exhibit age-dependent cognitive decline, amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology, and evidence of cholinergic hypofunction. The present study sought to further investigate the role of cholinergic hypofunction in the canine model by examining the effect of the cholinesterase inhibitors phenserine and donepezil on performance of two tasks, a delayed non-matching-to-position task (DNMP) designed to assess working memory, and an oddity discrimination learning task designed to assess complex learning, in aged dogs. Phenserine (0.5 mg/kg; PO) significantly improved performance on the DNMP at the longest delay compared to wash-out and partially attenuated scopolamine-induced deficits (15 μg/kg; SC). Phenserine also improved learning on a difficult version of an oddity discrimination task compared to placebo, but had no effect on an easier version. We also examined the effects of three doses of donepezil (0.75, 1.5, and 6 mg/kg; PO) on performance of the DNMP. Similar to the results with phenserine, 1.5 mg/kg of donepezil improved performance at the longest delay compared to baseline and wash-out, indicative of memory enhancement. These results further extend the findings of cholinergic hypofunction in aged dogs and provide pharmacological validation of the canine model with a cholinesterase inhibitor approved for use in AD. Collectively, these studies support utilizing the aged dog in future screening of therapeutics for AD, as well as for investigating the links among cholinergic function, Aβ pathology, and cognitive decline.