title: Changes in acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity in lymphocytes and whole blood in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes and it is the most common form of cancer in children. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is well known as having non-cholinergic functions and has been detected in the blood and plasma of humans including in lymphocytes. Thus, we investigated whole blood and lymphocyte AChE activity in patients with ALL.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed on 72 children with ALL divided into 4 groups: newly diagnosed, remission induction, remission maintenance and out-of-treatment and one control group of 50 healthy subjects. We determined AChE activity in whole blood and lymphocytes of these patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results demonstrated that whole blood AChE activity was enhanced in the newly diagnosed group and reduced in the remission induction and remission maintenance groups in relation to the control group. For lymphocyte AChE activity we found an increase in the newly diagnosed group and a decrease in the remission induction group in relation to the control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that AChE activity was altered in ALL patients. This fact may be related with the essential role played by AChE in the development of hematological disease and its contribution to the regulation of immune function.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Campus Universitário, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Battisti
authors.forename: Maria R C
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Schetinger
authors.forename: Liési D K
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Maders
authors.forename: Karen F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Margarete D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Bagatini
authors.forename: Maísa C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Rosélia M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Spanevello
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: do Carmo Araújo
authors.forename: Vera M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Morsch
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D000293:Adolescent; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000494:pharmacology; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000201:enzymology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003561:Cytarabine; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D008727:Methotrexate