Introduction: Despite the lack of cholinergic innervation, vessels are highly reactive to the presence of acetylcholine (ACh). Moreover, this neurotransmitter is commonly used to assess the endothelial function of vessels. However, information about vascular cholinesterases (ChE), the enzymes that terminate ACh action, is spares. The main aim of this dissertation thesis was to characterize vascular ChE and overall non-neuronal cholinergic system in the aorta under physiological and pathological conditions. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were used in the project, fed either with regular or high-fat diet. Relative expression of studied enzymes and transporters were determined by RT-qPCR method. ChE activities in tissue extracts were measured by Ellman's assay, activity staining was performed by Tsuji’s method and proteins localizations were done by dual immunohistochemistry. Molecular forms of ChE were studied by sucrose gradients. Results and conclusion: The enzymes and transporters necessary for ACh synthesis, storage, release, and degradation were detected in the rat aorta at mRNA and at protein levels. This confirms that aorta is a non-neuronal cholinergic tissue, capable to fully support the ACh life cycle. ChE are present mainly as PRiMA-anchored forms in each part of the aorta, while butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is the dominant ChE, localized primarily in the smooth muscle. In SHR, lower levels of BChE were detected, accompanied by decreased relative expressions of carnitine acetyltransferase and organic cation transporters. This suggests lower cholinergic signaling in SHR aorta as compared to normotensive rats. In the pharmacological experiment, both inhibition of BChE and high-fat diet resulted in significant weight gain and increased serum TAG levels. Moreover, a high-fat diet induced mRNA expression of BChE. Our data suggest BChE involvement in lipid metabolism.