RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The present study investigated the inhibitory effects of Chinese herb component sinapine on activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in cerebral homogenate and blood serum of rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>AChE was prepared from cerebral homogenate and blood serum of rats, respectively. Acetylcholinesterase activity assay kit and Chromatometry were used to detect the AChE activity.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Sinapine significantly inhibited AChE activity in vitro, with more effective on cerebral homogenate (IC50 3.66 micromol x L(-1)) than blood serum (IC50 22.1 micromol x L(-1)).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sinapine could significantly inhibit the cerebral AChE activity and may be a promising drug used for prevention and cure of Alzheimer's disease as a cholinesterase inhibitor.</p>