title: Biochemistry detection of acetylcholinesterase activity in Trypanosoma evansi and possible functional correlations.
abstract: Several chemical and immunohistochemical techniques can be used for the detection of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. In this experiment we aimed to detect AChE activity in Trypanosoma evansi. For this, the parasites were isolated from the blood of experimentally infected rats using a DEA-cellulose column. Enzymatic activity was determined in trypomastigote forms at 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2 mg/mL of protein concentrations by a standard biochemical protocol. At all concentrations tested, the study showed that T. evansi expresses the enzyme AChE and its activity was proportional to the concentration of protein, ranging between 0.64 and 2.70 μmol of AcSCh/h. Therefore, we concluded that it is possible to biochemically detect AChE in T. evansi, an enzyme that may be associated with vital functions of the parasite and also can be related to chemotherapy treatments, as further discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil. patiwol@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wolkmer
authors.forename: Cássia B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Francine C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Paim
authors.forename: Aleksandro S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Da Silva
authors.forename: Kaio C S
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.forename: Cícera R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lazzarotto
authors.forename: Heloisa E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: Gustavo R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Thomé
authors.forename: Luiz C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Miletti
authors.forename: Maria Rosa C
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Schetinger
authors.forename: Sonia T A
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Cinthia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mazzanti
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001671:Biochemistry / Q000379:methods; D002848:Chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000469:parasitology; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000469:parasitology; D051381:Rats; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D014345:Trypanosoma / Q000201:enzymology*; D014352:Trypanosomiasis / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D000109:Acetylcholine