Anticholinesterase effect of eserine (physostigmine) in fish and crustacean species

The kinetic characteristic (Km) of cholinesterase from the crab Chasmagnathus granulata, the shrimp Farfantepenaeus paulensis and the fish Odontesthes bonaeriensis were compared and correlated with the anticholinesterasic effect of eserine (physostigmine). For the crustaceans, the estimated Km values were about 5-8 times higher than that estimated for the fish (0.04 mM). In the crab and the shrimp, the concentration of eserine which inhibited …