Abstract: In this paper,the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities of 48 traditional Chinese medicine extracts were investigated by microscale screening model.Different polar solvents such as distilled water,80% ethanol (v/v),ethyl acetate and petroleum ether,were used as extraction solvents,the AChE inhibitory activities of these extracts were investigated by microscale screening model,and the IC₅₀ values were evaluated by Origin 8.0.The results showed that some of the extracts derived from the 48 traditional Chinese medicines had AChE inhibitory activities,in which the inhibitory rates of the 80% ethanol extracts of Cortex Phellodendri,Rhizoma Corydalis,and ethyl acetate extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza were the highest.When the final concentration of the extracts in the experimental system were 76.92 mg/L,the inhibitory rates of the 3 extracts were 66.72±0.02%,52.67±0.04% and 46.84±0.03%,respectively.The IC₅₀ values were 295.12,229.09 mg/L and 1202.26 mg/L,respectively.This study provided method and data support for rapid screening of AChE inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicines.

Key words: traditional Chinese medicine, acetylcholinesterase, microscale screening model