CHOLINESTERASES IN RAT TISSUES AND THE SITE OF SERUM NON-SPECIFIC CHOLINESTERASE PRODUCTION

Abstract

A survey of the cholinesterases in various tissues and organs of the albino rat revealed high concns. of the non-specific cholinesterase in salivary and Harderian glands, brown fat (hibernating gland), ovary, uterus, liver and blood serum. Specific cholinesterase was the predominant esterase in the brain-stem, red bone-marrow, spleen, thymus, lymph node, adrenal cortex, skeletal muscle and peripheral nerve. Specific cholinesterase in nerves and effector organs was concerned with cholinergic neural transmission, but its function in the red blood cell and lymphoid organs was obscure. The non-specific cholinesterase in glands was perhaps also associated with cholinergic mechanisms but in adipose tissues and serum it was more likely concerned with the hydrolysis of simple esters other than acetylcholine. Liver and gonads were the only organs which exhibited the marked sex difference in non-specific cholinesterase content previously noted in serum (the c[female]ontained much more than the [male]). Since castrates of either sex responded to the admn. of estrogen by elevations of their liver and serum enzyme content, it was concluded that the liver was the site of synthesis of the serum non-specific cholinesterase.