Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase levels of healthy volunteers who not exposed to pesticides in Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

Background: Food contamination of pesticides, especially organophosphate and carbamate, leads to changes in cholinesterase level. Thus, using of previous reference value of enzymes to predict the severity of pesticides exposure may be misleading. Objectives: To evaluate the recent reference intervals of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) of healthy volunteers who did not expose to pesticides in Chiang Mai Province. Materials and methods: Three hundred and forty blood samples were collected from healthy volunteers attended in blood donation at Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai. The participants did not exposure to pesticides. Level of red blood cell AChE and serum BChE were determined based on spectrophotometric assay. Reference interval was calculated and presented as arithmetic mean±SD. Results: Levels of red blood cell AChE and serum BChE from male healthy volunteers were not statistically different from those of female. Reference interval of red blood cell AChE and serum BChE are 5,136±1,452 U/L (3,684-6,588 U/L) and 3,164±1,264 U/L (1,900-4,428 U/L), respectively. Conclusions: From this study, reference interval of red blood cell AChE and serum BChE can be used for diagnosis of organophosphate and carbamate intoxication in forensic laboratory.