FIELD PROCEDURES FOR THE DETERMINATION OF BLOOD CHOLINESTERASE LEVELS II. VISUAL METHODS FOR ESTIMATION OF WHOLE BLOOD, RED BLOOD CELL, AND PLASMA CHOLINESTERASE

摘要

l. A rapid visual, test for the determination of the cholinesterase activity in human whole blood with acetylcholine as substrate, based upon a color change of bromthymol blue, has been presented. With acetyl-β-methylcholine and butyrylcholine as substrates the method has been shown to be applicable to the determination of red blood cell and plasma cholinesterase respectively in whole blood samples.n2. The visual method, using whole blood samples with the appropriate substrate, shows close correlation with electrometric methods using red cells or plasma in determining the depression in cholinesterase activity due to anticholinesterase in vitro and with red cells in vivo.n3. Reaction time has been correlated with temperature (range: 15°-35°C.) and degree of inhibition of cholinesterase activity in the formnof charts which permit evaluation of cholinesterase activity from finger-tip blood samples from men and women. By means of these charts an inhibition of cholinesterase activity of 50% or more can be recognized without knowledge of the individuals' pre-exposure value. When the pre-exposure cholinesterase activity of the individual is known, the test will allow inhibitions in excessnof 25% to be recognized.n4. The test has been modified for use with dried reagents so as to facilitate field use. Results with such reagents have been shown to agree closely with those obtained using prepared solutions.n5. Possible application of the method to routine studies of liver function and for studying the response to treatment of pernicious anemia is suggested.