Cholinesterases are the enzymes that cleaves acetyl choline and similar compounds to choline and acetic acid. These enzymes are found in various organs like brain, lungs, red blood cells, heart and plasma etc. They are also present in neuro-muscular junctions where they hydrolyses acetylcholine and this helps to relax the contracted muscle.
Because as well all know that acetylcholine is released during action potential and then it cases muscle contraction. And soon it is hydrolysed by esterases (especially true one) and this helps in the relaxation of muscles.
There are two types of cholinesterases i.e ture and pseduo. We will discuss both of them in detail below and their differences as well.
True Cholinesterases Vs Pseudo Cholinesterases:
So, here are the few differences between true and pseudo cholinesterases:
Names:
Acetylcholinestrase (AChE) which is present at neuro-junction is also called true cholinesterase while the butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) is also called psudo cholinesterase.
Location:
Generally we say that true cholinesterases are present in neuro muscular junction while pseduo cholinesterases are the plasma splitting enzymes of choline based esters.
But true cholinesterases are also found in brain, red blood cells and lungs while pseudo cholinessterases are found in plasma, heart and liver.
True Or Pseudo:
True cholinesterases are called true because they are specific for acetylcholine and can only split acetylcholine into choline and acetic acid. While pseudo cholinesterases are called psedo because they are not specific for acetylcholine. They can hydrolyzes many choline based esters and due to this reason they are called pseudo.
Specificity:
As mentioned above that true ones are found in neuro muscular junctions and they are specific for acetlycholine. While the pseudo ones are more slow acting and are not specific for acetylcholine and that’s why they are called pseudo cholinesterases.
Final Words:
So, these were differences between true and pseudo cholinesterases and some basic concepts. Hope this would have cleared your concepts.
If i have made any mistake in the above post you can use the comment section below to contribute. Also i would try to write more about cholinestrase bases topics like cholinesterase function, their levels and various tests to find the levels in the body. So, stay tuned to All Medical Stuff for more.
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