title: Plasma cholinesterase activity of rats, western grey kangaroos, alpacas, sheep, cattle, and horses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasma cholinesterase activity levels of various species may be of interest to toxicologists or pathologists working with chemicals that interfere with the activity of plasma cholinesterase.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a pH titration method to measure the plasma cholinesterase activity of six mammalian species.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma cholinesterase activity varied up to 50-fold between species: sheep (88 ± 45 nM acetylcholine degraded per ml of test plasma per minute), cattle (94 ± 35), western grey kangaroos (126 ± 92), alpaca (364 ± 70), rats (390 ± 118) and horses (4539 ± 721).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We present a simple, effective technique for the assay of plasma cholinesterase activity levels from a range of species. Although labour-intensive, it requires only basic laboratory equipment.
authors.affiliation: School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mayberry
authors.affiliation: School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia; Perth Zoo, 20 Labouchere Road, South Perth 6151, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mawson
authors.affiliation: School of Anatomy, Physiology, and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Shane K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Maloney
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002161:Camelids, New World / Q000097:blood; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood; D002802:Cholinesterases / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006736:Horses / Q000097:blood; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007614:Macropodidae / Q000097:blood; D008322:Mammals / Q000097:blood*; D051381:Rats / Q000097:blood; D012756:Sheep / Q000097:blood; D013045:Species Specificity; D017186:Titrimetry / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D002802:Cholinesterases
keywords: Alpaca; Cattle; Horse; Kangaroo; Methods; Plasma cholinesterase activity; Rat; Sheep