Igisu_1993_Biochem.Pharmacol_46_175

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity in human erythrocyte membranes with high cooperativity. The Hill coefficient for the inhibition was 4-5 in "untreated" membranes. Differences in the temperature (13, 25 and 37 degrees) or treatment with 1% Triton X-100 did not clearly affect the cooperativity which, however, increased after the erythrocyte membranes were treated with 2-mercaptoethanol and iodoacetatic acid, suggesting that higher cooperativity in the inhibition of AchE by PCP may reflect conformational changes of AchE. Thus, PCP may be useful for the study of AchE in human erythrocytes.