The mechanism of reversible inhibition of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase, horse blood serum butyrylcholinesterase, cholinesterase from optical ganglia of the squids, PacificTodarodes pacificus and CommodoreBerryteuthis magister, from different zones of habitation area is studied in the presence of substrates of various structures (acetylcholine, butyrylcholine, acetylthiocholine, butyrylthiocholine, phenylacetate, indophenylacetate, 2,6-dichlorophenylindophenylacetate). Tested as reversible inhibitors were tetramethylammonium iodide, tetraethylammonium iodide, choline iodide, and two derivatives of α,ω-bis(trimethylammoniommethyl)oligodimethylsiloxane dichloride. It has been revealed that the mechanism of the reversible anticholinesterase action depends essentially both on the enzyme nature and on the structures of substrate and inhibitor. The transfer from cation-containing to hydrophobic substrates increased essentially the contribution of uncompetitive component of the inhibitory constant. In the presence of butyric acid esters (butyrylcholine, butyrylthiocholine), the potency of inhibitors was lower than at hydrolysis of the corresponding acetates. The effect of the substrate structure on the mechanism of reversible inhibition was revealed to a greater extent in reactions with participation of squid cholinesterases.