A modified electrometric method was described and validated for measurement of plasma and erythrocyte cholinesterase activities in 6~18 months old goats. The enzymatic reaction mixture contained 3 ml distilled water, 3 ml barbital-phosphate buffer (pH 8.1), 0.2 ml plasma or erythrocytes and 0.1 ml acetylthiocholine iodide (7.5%) as a substrate. The mixture was incubated at 37 degrees C for 40 minutes. The pH of the reaction mixture was determined by a pH meter before and after the incubation. The initial pH was measured before the substrate addition. The enzyme activity was expressed as deltapH/40 min. The coefficients of variation of the described method in measuring plasma and erythrocyte cholinesterase activities were 4 and 2%, respectively. Preliminary reference values (n = 14) of the mean cholinesterase activity (deltapH/40 min) and 95% confidence interval in the plasma were 0.194 and 0.184~ 0.204, respectively, and those of the erythrocytes were 0.416 and 0.396~0.436, respectively. The pseudocholinesterase activity of the plasma cholinesterase was 63.5% as determined by quinidine sulfate inhibition. The organophosphorus insecticides dichlorvos and diazinon at 0.5~4 micrometer and the carbamate insecticide carbaryl at 5~20 micrometer in the reaction mixture significantly inhibited plasma (13.7~85.5%) and erythrocyte (16.4~71.9%) cholinesterases in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner. The results suggest that the described electrometric method is simple, precise and efficient in measuring blood cholinesterase activity in goats.
Acid-Base Equilibrium/physiology ; Animals ; Carbaryl/pharmacology ; Cholinesterase Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Cholinesterases/*blood/drug effects ; Diazinon/pharmacology ; Dichlorvos/pharmacology ; Enzyme Activation/drug effects/physiology ; Erythrocytes/metabolism ; Goats/*blood ; Plasma/metabolism

BACKGROUNDTo investigate the effect of Oxymatrine (OM) on serum cholinesterase (ChE) during the treatment of viral hepatitis and the relationship between the change of ChE and the change of albumin (ALB), prothrombin activity (PTA) and other liver function tests.

METHODSA total of 98 patients with viral hepatitis were divided into four groups. Group A consisted of 31 patients and were treated with OM intravenous infusion; Group B consisted of 30 patients, treated with OM orally; Group C consisted of 7 patients and were treated with OM intramuscular injection while Group D consisted of 30 patients, and were not treated with OM. ChE, ALB, PTA, liver function, renal function, soluble complement receptor-1 (sCR1) and erythrocyte innate immune adhesion function (EIIAF) were regularly determined.

RESULTSChE in Group A,B,C was dropped obviously during the treatment (P less than 0.001, less than 0.001, 0.023=. But there were no change in ALB, PTA, sCR1, EIIAF (P greater than 0.05), and remarkable improvement of ALT, AST, TBiL was seen during the treatment in Groups A, B, C. After the treatment with OM, the level of ChE recovered soon.

CONCLUSIONSerum level of ChE significantly declined during the treatment of viral hepatitis with OM, but no change was found in ALB, PTA, sCR1, EIIAF while liver function tests showed better results. So the drop of ChE does not mean deprivation of patient's liver disease.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alkaloids ; therapeutic use ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Cholinesterases ; blood ; drug effects ; Female ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Quinolizines

OBJECTIVETo study the pathological changes of blood glucose, serum lipid, insulin resistance, liver function, liver cell denaturalization of total glucosides of paeony on nonalcoholic fatty liver rats caused by insulin resistance and discuss the acting mechanism.

METHODAdult SD rats were maintained on high-fat-sugar-salt diet for 56 days. In the 57th day, their fasting blood glucose (FBG) and 2-hours blood glucose after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT-2 hBG) were mensurated, according to which and the weight the rats were divided randomly into nonalcoholic fatty liver model group, metformin group (0.2 g x kg(-1)) and total glucosides of paeony group (high dosage 0.15 g x kg(-1), low dosage 0.05 g x kg(-1)). All the rats were still administered the same diet and given different drugs by intragastric administration for 28 days. In the 29th day, all of them were killed and the blood was sampled to measure the levels of blood glucose [FBG, OGTT-2 hBG, fasting insulin (Fins)] and serum lipid [free fatty acids (FFA), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)], then the HOMA insulin resistance index (HOMA-IRI, fasting glucosexinsulin) and insulin sensitivity index (ISI) were counted. The activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), cholinesterase (ChE), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured also. Livers were weighed and collected to be observed the pathological changes.

RESULTCompared with normal group, in nonalcoholic fatty liver model group the levels of Fins and IRI were increased obviously (P < 0.01), ISI were decreased (P < 0.01), FFA, TG, TC, LDL-C were increased (P < 0.01), HDL-C were decreased (P < 0.05); the content of MDA were increased (P < 0.05), the activities of SOD were decreased (P < 0.01); AST, ALT and ChE were increased (P < 0.05, or P < 0.01), the pathological changes of liver fat were severe (P < 0.01). In glucosides of paeony group and metformin group, hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistence were resisted (P < 0.05, or P < 0.01); the levels of FFA, TG, TC, LDL-C were decreased and HDL-C were increased (P < 0.05, or P < 0.01); the activities of AST, ALT, ChE were decreased (P < 0.05, or P < 0.01) and SOD were increased (P < 0.01). The contents of MDA were decreased (P < 0.05). The levels of FBG and 2 hBG in metformin group were decreased but in total glucosides of paeony group were not decreased obviously.

CONCLUSIONTotal glucosides of paeony may protect liver function and modulate serum lipid for the fatty liver rats caused by insulin resistance, and its action mechanism may be concerned with enhancing insulin sensitivity and antioxidative ability, decreasing serum lipid.

Alanine Transaminase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; metabolism ; Blood Glucose ; drug effects ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Cholinesterases ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Fatty Liver ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Glucosides ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipids ; blood ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Paeonia ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism