Molecular recognition by acetylcholinesterase at the peripheral anionic site: structure-activity relationships for inhibitions by aryl carbamates.

Substituted phenyl-N-butyl carbamates (1-9) are potent irreversible inhibitors of Electrophorus electricus acetylcholinesterase. Carbamates 1-9 act as the peripheral anionic site-directed irreversible inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase by the stop-time assay in the presence of a competitive inhibitor, edrophonium. Linear relationships between the logarithms of the dissociation constant of the enzyme inhibitor adduct (Ki), the inactivation constant of the enzyme-inhibitor adduct (k2), and the bimolecular inhibition constant (k(i)) for the inhibition of Electrophorus electricus acetylcholinesterase by carbamates 1-9 and the Hammett substituent constant (sigma), are observed, and the reaction constants (ps) are -1.36, 0.35 and -1.01, respectively. Therefore, the above reaction may form a positive charged enzyme-inhibitor intermediate at the peripheral anionic site of the enzyme and may follow the irreversible inactivation by a conformational change of the enzyme.