Human Erythrocyte Acetylcholinesterase in Health and Disease

Carlota Saldanha1

  • 1Instituto de Bioquímica, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal. carlotasaldanha@medicina.ulisboa.pt.

The biochemical properties of erythrocyte or human red blood cell (RBC) membrane acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and its applications on laboratory class and on research are reviewed. Evidence of the biochemical and the pathophysiological properties like the association between the RBC AChE enzyme activity and the clinical and biophysical parameters implicated in several diseases are overviewed, and the achievement of RBC AChE as a biomarker and as a prognostic factor are presented. Beyond its function as an enzyme, a special focus is highlighted in this review for a new function of the RBC AChE, namely a component of the signal transduction pathway of nitric oxide.

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