Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticle Based-colorimetric Acetylcholinesterase Assay Method with High Signal/Noise Ratio in End-point Analysis

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease is a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disease that is characterized initially by the selective loss of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain. The loss of cholinergic cells, particularly in the basal forebrain, is accompanied by the loss of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. 1 Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors form the basis of the newest drugs available for the management of this disease because this enzyme rapidly hydrolyzes the active neurotransmitter acetylcholine into inactive compounds, choline and acetic acid. 2 These inhibitors can treat Alzheimer’s disease by increasing the level of acetylcholine by blocking the activity of acetylcholinesterase. Many compounds have been synthesized by combinatorial chemistry to discover acetylcholinesterase inhibitors rapidly. 3 Combinatorial chemistry enables to large libraries of compounds to be synthesized within a short time period, and the libraries of compounds have enabled the development of many potential acetylcholinesterase inhibitors as drugs for Alzheimer’s disease.