Butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE)
Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE; also known as pseudocholinesterase, plasma cholinesterase, or non-specific cholinesterase) is a serine hydrolase enzyme encoded by the BCHE gene in humans.
Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE; also known as pseudocholinesterase, plasma cholinesterase, or non-specific cholinesterase) is a serine hydrolase enzyme encoded by the BCHE gene in humans. It belongs to the cholinesterase family and preferentially hydrolyzes butyrylcholine, though it can also act on acetylcholine and a broad range of choline esters. Unlike its close paralog Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which is concentrated at neuromuscular junctions and synapses, BChE is expressed widely across tissues including the liver, plasma, intestine, and brain. Structurally, BChE possesses a catalytic triad (Ser-His-Glu) within a deep, gorge-shaped active site, flanked by a peripheral anionic site and a choline-binding pocket—features that are exploited extensively in drug design efforts.
BChE plays a complex and context-dependent role in cholinergic neurotransmission. Under normal physiological conditions, it contributes modestly to the hydrolysis of acetylcholine; however, in advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD), AChE activity declines markedly while BChE activity progressively compensates, making BChE an increasingly important therapeutic target as neurodegeneration advances. Beyond neurological disease, BChE is implicated in lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis linked to insulin resistance, and detoxification of xenobiotics. Its expression has also been identified in certain tumor microenvironments, extending its relevance beyond neuropharmacology into oncology. These diverse roles have made BChE the subject of intense multidisciplinary research, spanning synthetic medicinal chemistry, natural product pharmacology, parasitology, and cancer biology.
Where the papers sit
19 papers from the last 6 months study Butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE) directly · updated from PubMed 10 Oct 2026
Study type 0 clinical trials · 4 human data · 15 preclinical
Themes one subject · 1 new direction
Those 19 are all about one subject.
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Cholinesterase Drug Discovery
Medicinal chemistry is moving toward multitarget cholinesterase ligands for Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegeneration. New scaffolds seek combined AChE and BCHE inhibition, often with activity against COX, carbonic anhydrase, MAO-B, or disease-linked pathways. Progress rests mainly on enzyme assays, docking, molecular dynamics, ADMET profiling, and selected neuroprotective or in vivo tests rather than clinical evidence. Fluorescent BCHE detection and oxime-based reactivation extend the work toward diagnosis and treatment of cholinesterase dysfunction.
BCHE is treated as a real-time diagnostic and inflammatory/lipid-related biomarker, not only as a cholinesterase-drug target
The near-infrared probe Hcy-BChE in live cells and tumor xenografts treats BCHE as a measurable biological signal rather than merely an enzyme to inhibit in Alzheimer’s disease or reactivate after poisoning. The study identifies BCHE as a hepatic-function biomarker that also modulates lipid transport and inflammation, and uses its activity for real-time, deep-tissue detection with high specificity and sensitivity. This extends BCHE into diagnostic imaging and disease-monitoring applications outside the inhibitor-centered roles used by the other papers 42096930May.
Papers
The 19 papers from the last 6 months that study Butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE) directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
Cholinesterase Drug Discovery (19)
- Design, synthesis and multitarget evaluation of cyclopropyl-appended thiohydantoin derivatives as dual cholinesterase and COX inhibitors with antioxidant activity: a combined experimental and computational study. Journal of computer-aided molecular design · 11 Sept 2026 PMID 42726329
- Sulfonamide-Based 2-Amino-1,3,4-Oxadiazole Derivatives as Dual Cholinesterase and Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Kinetic Characterization, Molecular Modeling, and ADMET Evaluation. Drug development research · 25 Aug 2026 PMID 42638586
- Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Benzimidazol-2-One Hybrids as Potential Anti-Alzheimer's Disease Agents. Drug development research · 20 Aug 2026 PMID 42623026
- Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and in silico analysis of novel coumarin carboxamides as acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors and anticancer agents. Journal of computer-aided molecular design · 21 Jul 2026 PMID 42481895
- Rational design and synthesis of dispiroindene-pyrrolidinedione scaffolds as multi-target directed ligands: potent AChE inhibitors with antioxidant activity and favorable biocompatibility in SH-SY5Y cells. Bioorganic chemistry · 16 Jul 2026 PMID 42462519
- Eugenol-derived carbamates as sub-nanomolar dual cholinesterase inhibitors with neuroprotective activity against Alzheimer's disease: Structure-activity relationships and molecular dynamics insights. Bioorganic chemistry · 13 Jul 2026 PMID 42442298
- Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Chiral Urea and Thiourea Derivatives as Multitarget-Directed Anti-Alzheimer Agents. Drug development research · 6 Jul 2026 PMID 42403010
- Novel 2-indolinone benzylpiperidine- thiosemicarbazone hybrids as cholinesterase inhibitors: Design, synthesis and biological evaluation. Bioorganic chemistry · 29 Jun 2026 PMID 42372459
- Discovery of New Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors and Evaluation of Their Biological Activity against Alzheimer's Disease. ACS chemical neuroscience · 23 Jun 2026 PMID 42335451
- Identification of a nanomolar, selective MAO-B inhibitor from piperidine-based chalcones with anti-Parkinson potential. Bioorganic chemistry · 26 May 2026 PMID 42190536
- β-Maltose-conjugated acetophenone thiosemicarbazones as multitarget inhibitors of diabetes- and Alzheimer's disease-related enzymes: Design, synthesis, and mechanistic evaluation. Bioorganic chemistry · 25 May 2026 PMID 42184581
- Promising Flavonoid-Fused Aminoquinolines as Synthetic Alzheimer's Disease Models: Design, Synthesis, Anticholinesterase Activity, ADMET and Molecular Docking. Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology · 25 May 2026 PMID 42179001
- Studies of design, synthesis and biological properties, ADMET profiling, molecular docking, network pharmacology and molecular dynamics simulation of novel chalcone derivatives containing benzoyl-piperazin. Bioorganic chemistry · 21 May 2026 PMID 42166963
- The evaluation of HI-6 encapsulated in reconstituted lipid nanoparticles for central delivery and reactivation in soman-poisoned mice. Neuroscience letters · 9 May 2026 PMID 42105850
- Development of a novel near-infrared probe for butyrylcholinesterase accurate detection in vitro and in vivo. Bioorganic chemistry · 7 May 2026 PMID 42096930
- Donepezil-derived multi-target-directed ligands: design, synthesis, and anti-Alzheimer's evaluation. Bioorganic chemistry · 6 May 2026 PMID 42090829
- Carltonine B derivatives: Synthesis and structure-activity relationship insights for selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibition. Bioorganic chemistry · 30 Apr 2026 PMID 42060983
- Design, Synthesis, and Enantioselective Cholinesterase Inhibition of Novel Chiral Anthranilic Diamide Derivatives: In Vitro and In Silico Studies. Chirality · 29 Apr 2026 PMID 42050895
- Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of pyranone-carbamate hybrids as selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors with anti-neuroinflammatory activity for Alzheimer's disease. Bioorganic chemistry · 20 Apr 2026 PMID 42008868
By study type
Human data, design not indexed (4)
- Design, synthesis and multitarget evaluation of cyclopropyl-appended thiohydantoin derivatives as dual cholinesterase and COX inhibitors with antioxidant activity: a combined experimental and computational study. Journal of computer-aided molecular design · 11 Sept 2026 PMID 42726329
- Novel 2-indolinone benzylpiperidine- thiosemicarbazone hybrids as cholinesterase inhibitors: Design, synthesis and biological evaluation. Bioorganic chemistry · 29 Jun 2026 PMID 42372459
- β-Maltose-conjugated acetophenone thiosemicarbazones as multitarget inhibitors of diabetes- and Alzheimer's disease-related enzymes: Design, synthesis, and mechanistic evaluation. Bioorganic chemistry · 25 May 2026 PMID 42184581
- Promising Flavonoid-Fused Aminoquinolines as Synthetic Alzheimer's Disease Models: Design, Synthesis, Anticholinesterase Activity, ADMET and Molecular Docking. Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology · 25 May 2026 PMID 42179001
Preclinical: animal, cell and lab studies (15)
- Sulfonamide-Based 2-Amino-1,3,4-Oxadiazole Derivatives as Dual Cholinesterase and Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Kinetic Characterization, Molecular Modeling, and ADMET Evaluation. Drug development research · 25 Aug 2026 PMID 42638586
- Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Benzimidazol-2-One Hybrids as Potential Anti-Alzheimer's Disease Agents. Drug development research · 20 Aug 2026 PMID 42623026
- Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and in silico analysis of novel coumarin carboxamides as acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors and anticancer agents. Journal of computer-aided molecular design · 21 Jul 2026 PMID 42481895
- Rational design and synthesis of dispiroindene-pyrrolidinedione scaffolds as multi-target directed ligands: potent AChE inhibitors with antioxidant activity and favorable biocompatibility in SH-SY5Y cells. Bioorganic chemistry · 16 Jul 2026 PMID 42462519
- Eugenol-derived carbamates as sub-nanomolar dual cholinesterase inhibitors with neuroprotective activity against Alzheimer's disease: Structure-activity relationships and molecular dynamics insights. Bioorganic chemistry · 13 Jul 2026 PMID 42442298
- Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Chiral Urea and Thiourea Derivatives as Multitarget-Directed Anti-Alzheimer Agents. Drug development research · 6 Jul 2026 PMID 42403010
- Discovery of New Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors and Evaluation of Their Biological Activity against Alzheimer's Disease. ACS chemical neuroscience · 23 Jun 2026 PMID 42335451
- Identification of a nanomolar, selective MAO-B inhibitor from piperidine-based chalcones with anti-Parkinson potential. Bioorganic chemistry · 26 May 2026 PMID 42190536
- Studies of design, synthesis and biological properties, ADMET profiling, molecular docking, network pharmacology and molecular dynamics simulation of novel chalcone derivatives containing benzoyl-piperazin. Bioorganic chemistry · 21 May 2026 PMID 42166963
- The evaluation of HI-6 encapsulated in reconstituted lipid nanoparticles for central delivery and reactivation in soman-poisoned mice. Neuroscience letters · 9 May 2026 PMID 42105850
- Development of a novel near-infrared probe for butyrylcholinesterase accurate detection in vitro and in vivo. Bioorganic chemistry · 7 May 2026 PMID 42096930
- Donepezil-derived multi-target-directed ligands: design, synthesis, and anti-Alzheimer's evaluation. Bioorganic chemistry · 6 May 2026 PMID 42090829
- Carltonine B derivatives: Synthesis and structure-activity relationship insights for selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibition. Bioorganic chemistry · 30 Apr 2026 PMID 42060983
- Design, Synthesis, and Enantioselective Cholinesterase Inhibition of Novel Chiral Anthranilic Diamide Derivatives: In Vitro and In Silico Studies. Chirality · 29 Apr 2026 PMID 42050895
- Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of pyranone-carbamate hybrids as selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors with anti-neuroinflammatory activity for Alzheimer's disease. Bioorganic chemistry · 20 Apr 2026 PMID 42008868
Written from 19 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-06-16. Last written: 2026-08-26 by GPT. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.