Micro-Electrometric Method for Assessing Cholinesterase Activity in Human Whole Blood.

Abstract

Cholinesterase (ChE) is an essential enzyme for nervous system function, and its activity in the blood serves as a biomarker for pesticide exposure, necessitating accessible assessment methods in resource-limited areas. This study focused on developing and validating a micro-electrometric method to rapidly and reliably measure ChE activity in human blood to monitor pesticide exposure. A micro-electrometric method was designed to evaluate ChE activity in whole-blood samples, involving incubation with organophosphate and carbamate pesticides and subsequent pH measurement, and its performance was compared to that of the Ellman method. The optimized method was strongly correlated with the Ellman method (R² = 0.9147), effectively measuring dose-dependent ChE inhibition by mevinphos and carbofuran with stabilization after 10 min, demonstrating a high sensitivity suitable for field applications. The micro-electrometric method is easy, accurate, and inexpensive for measuring ChE activity. It has been proven to work by comparing it to other methods; therefore, it can be used in clinical and research settings with limited resources.