Pseudocholinesterase
Pseudocholinesterase describes a family of enzymes produced mainly in the liver but widely found in:
- plasma
- liver
- skin
- gastrointestinal tract
It hydrolyses esters e.g. procaine and suxamethonium. It can occur as a number of variants, dependent on four alleles, with variable degrees of cholinesterase function. The nature of the variants determines sensitivity to suxamethonium; the extreme is pseudocholinesterase deficiency.
Pseudocholinesterases are irreversibly inhibited by organophosphate compounds; the reduction in plasma activity is a means of monitoring exposure of individuals to organophosphates.
Related pages
Create an account to add page annotations
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.