TYR and nervous system disorder: Moreover, acetone extracts from the two haloarchaea have shown for the first time to have the ability to activate the melanogenic enzyme tyrosinase and to inhibit the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), implicated in the inflammatory response; while the aqueous extracts from both strains have demonstrated to enhance in vitro the acetylcholinesterase activity; this enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of cholinergic neurotransmitters and has been reported to be involved in neurological disorders and to have a role in apoptosis.