About Acetylcholine |
The facts
The chemical formula for Acetylcholine is C7NH16O2+. It can be abbreviated as ACh. The molar mass of Acetylcholine is 146.2074 g/m. A single step reaction catalyzed by the enzyme Choline Acetyltransferase synthesizes Acetylcholine. Choline Acetyltransferase is a nerve terminal protein that is produced in the cholinergic cell body and transported to the nerve endings down the axon. ACh synthesis can be limited due to the availability of choline and acetyl-CoA. Most of Acetylcholine in nerve endings is stored in vesicles, and a small amount is stored in the cytosol. Through Ca2+ stimulated docking, fusion, and fission of the vesicle with the nerve terminal membrane, ACh is released. The two types of receptors that respond to Acetylcholine; nicotinic and muscarinic.
ACh only binds briefly to its receptors, and afterward the enzyme Acetylcholinesterase rapidly hydrolyzes it. Cholinergic neurotransmission can be altered by drugs that inhibit ACh breakdown. The inhibition is produced when paralysis is caused due to the molecules accumulating with the synaptic space and keeping the receptors occupied. ACh has many irreversible inhibitors which can result in death, such as pesticides and gases used in biological warfare. Reversible inhibitors exist as well, and they are effective in increasing the ACh level which is helpful in treating diseases where a higher level of Acetylcholine is desired. Eserine is an important example of a reversible inhibitor.
Alzheimer's disease is the progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. There are more than 3 million cases of Alzheimer's in the United States per year. One of the found characteristics of this disease is a decrease in Acetylcholine concentration. Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. This disease causes the patient's own antibodies to destroy the receptors for Acetylcholine. Cholinergic Pharmacology exists in which drugs are produced to interact with cholinergic systems. Some of these drugs include: Atropine, Scopolamine, Amantadine, Bethanechol, Tacrine, and Eserine. These drugs either block muscarinic receptors, block ACh breakdown, or mimic ACh.
ACh only binds briefly to its receptors, and afterward the enzyme Acetylcholinesterase rapidly hydrolyzes it. Cholinergic neurotransmission can be altered by drugs that inhibit ACh breakdown. The inhibition is produced when paralysis is caused due to the molecules accumulating with the synaptic space and keeping the receptors occupied. ACh has many irreversible inhibitors which can result in death, such as pesticides and gases used in biological warfare. Reversible inhibitors exist as well, and they are effective in increasing the ACh level which is helpful in treating diseases where a higher level of Acetylcholine is desired. Eserine is an important example of a reversible inhibitor.
Alzheimer's disease is the progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. There are more than 3 million cases of Alzheimer's in the United States per year. One of the found characteristics of this disease is a decrease in Acetylcholine concentration. Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. This disease causes the patient's own antibodies to destroy the receptors for Acetylcholine. Cholinergic Pharmacology exists in which drugs are produced to interact with cholinergic systems. Some of these drugs include: Atropine, Scopolamine, Amantadine, Bethanechol, Tacrine, and Eserine. These drugs either block muscarinic receptors, block ACh breakdown, or mimic ACh.