(Acylcholine acylhydrolase; EC 3.1.1.8)
Butyryl cholinesterase catalyzes the hydrolysis of a number of
choline esters as shown:
BC
Acylcholine + H2O ---------> Choline + Corresponding Acid
The enzyme is sometimes referred to as ÒpseudocholinesteraseÓ
but it preferentially uses butyrylcholine and benzoylcholine
as substrates. Butyrylcholinesterase is distinct from
acetylcholinesterase and is found in mammalian blood plasma,
liver, pancreas, intestinal mucosa and the white matter of the
central nervous system.
Butyrylcholinesterase from equine serum has a molecular weight
of 440,000 (Lee, J.C. and Harpst, J.A., Biochemistry, 12,
1622, l973). It is a glycoprotein which has an optimum pH of
6.0-8.0. Assay of butyrylcholinesterase activity is of
diagnostic value in various liver diseases, malignancies, and
pulmonary tuberculosis (Methods of Enzymatic Analysis;
Bergmeyer, H.U. ed: Vol. 2, 833, 1974. Academic Press, New
York.) The enzyme can also be used for the assay of
organophosphorous compounds such as pesticides.
| 
E405 nm/min
