title: Evaluation of microwave irradiation technique to quantitate acetylcholine in the diaphragm.
abstract: This report evaluates rapid enzyme inactivation prior to acetylcholine quantitation in the diaphragm. Methods of sacrifice were decapitation and microwave irradiation. Six-hundred millisecond exposure to microwave irradiation was sufficient to raise diaphragmatic temperature to 91 degrees C and inactivated 90% of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. The acetylcholine content of the diaphragm was found to be 3.0 nmol/g, independent of the method of sacrifice. The postmortem changes observed in brain acetylcholine content following decapitation did not occur in the diaphragm.
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008872:Microwaves; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine