ISSN:
1432-0738
Keywords:
Cholinesterase
;
Acetyl-cholinesterase
;
Plasma
;
Muscle
;
n-Hexane
;
2,5-Hexanedione
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract Adult male rats were subjected to 4 weeks' respiratory treatment withn-hexane (5000 ppm, 16 h/day, 6 days/week); motor conduction velocity was significantly decreased in tail nerves at all weekly intervals and did not approach normal values in the 4 weeks following interruption of treatment. Plasma acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels were significantly increased at all weekly intervals during treatment (25–40%); 2 weeks after the end of treatment they had returned to baseline. Oral treatment with 2,5-hexanedione (HD) (1% in drinking water) caused a similar increase in plasma levels; this increase was statistically significant also when compared with pair-fed (PF) control rats. A sucrose density gradient analysis showed only one peak of AChE activity at approximately 10 S (as in normal plasma). The levels of butyrylcholinesterase were unaltered in plasma of bothn-hexane- and HD-treated rats. Both the fast-contracting EDL and the slow-contracting soleus muscles lost weight in HD-treated rats with respect to free-fed (AL) and PF controls. AChE levels responded differently to HD treatment in the two muscle types: in EDL total extracts, AChE activity increased considerably with respect to AL controls (+70%,p〈0.001), while the levels of the 16 S and 4 S molecular forms were unaltered. The increased levels of AChE found in plasma of rats intoxicated withn-hexane or with its metabolite HD may originate from muscle and correspond to an increased secretion of this molecular form.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00661372
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