Title: cholinesterase inhibitor
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - cholinesterase inhibitor
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.15556
Status: current

Definition
Substance that inhibits the action of acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) and related enzymes which catalyze the hydrolysis of choline esters: Such a substance causes hyperactivity in parasympathetic nerves.

Example
Organophosphate and carbamate pesticides.

Related Term
- parasympathetic: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/15961

Source
- PAC, 2007, 79, 1153. 'Glossary of terms used in toxicology, 2nd edition (IUPAC Recommendations 2007)' on page 1189 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac200779071153)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15556/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15556/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/15556/xml

Citation: Citation: 'cholinesterase inhibitor' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.15556
License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-04-17T23:14:54+00:00