Anticholinesterase (Noun)
Meaning
A medicine that inhibits cholinesterase by combining with it and so has a cholinergic effect.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- Physostigmine is a naturally occurring anticholinesterase found in the Calabar bean.
- Organophosphates can be highly toxic and function as irreversible anticholinesterase.
- Malathion and neostigmine are classified as anticholinesterase.
- Pharmacologists commonly refer to physostigmine as a reversible anticholinesterase.
- Nerve agents used as chemical warfare act by behaving as highly potent irreversible anticholinesterase.