Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase purified from electric eel

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed during the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood and municipal waste incineration, from internal combustion engines, and from various food cooking operations and are common environmental contaminants which have been detected in surface waters, sediments, soils, plants, and both rural and urban air. In this study, we have shown that, for the first time, in vitro addition of PAHs dose-dependently inhibited the activity of acetylcholinesterase purified from electric eel in a competitive manner. The PAHs containing 3 or higher aromatic rings showed the highest inhibitory effect with the IC₅₀ values between 2 and 6 ppm. Among the PAHs tested, chrysene and pyrene exhibit the highest and lowest potency with IC₅₀ values of 2.40 ± 0.04 and 5.22 ± 0.38 ppm, respectively. PAHs with lower number of aromatic rings, such as naphthalene, acenaphthylene and fluorene, and oxygenated PAHs, such as anthraquinone and xanthone, showed no or slight inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase activity.