Interactions of organophosphorus and related compounds with cholinesterases, a theoretical study

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an interesting research target not only because of its high enzyme catalytic rate but also because of the wide range of health effects resulting from its inhibition. This paper discusses results of a theoretical study of acetylcholinesterase inhibition using several simulation techniques. In the first technique, a novel method was developed and used for predicting the binding affinity of human AChE (huAChE) inhibitors. Results are also presented for classical molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical simulations. Theoretical proton NMR shift results are obtained and compared to experiment, and the importance of the Glu199 residue is discussed in the context of the model. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.