FOLIC ACID EFFECTS ON THE ACETYL CHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITIES IN DIFFERENT TISSUES OF A RAT

Various studies have shown that the serum concentration of folic acid is inversely related to the serum homocysteine concentration. In addition, data suggest that increases in serum homocysteine levels decrease the activity of acetyl cholinesterase (AChE). Th e aim of this study was to investigate the eff ects of acute folic acid treatment on AChE activity in the brain, heart and the blood of a rat. We used male Wistar rats, with a body mass of 250-300 g divided into two categories: a control group given placebo (1 ml 0.9% NaCl, i.p. n1=6) and an experimental group treated with folic acid (1 ml 0.011 μmol/g per body mass, pH 7.4, i.p., n2=6). Sixty minutes after the treatment, the rats were decapitated. Th e brain and the heart were removed, and blood was taken. Th e brain and heart were homogenised in phosphate buff er pH 8 (1 ml buff er/20 mg tissue). Th e homogenised tissues and blood were used as a substrate for the spectrophotometric analysis, and enzyme activity was measured in vitro by the Ellman method. Rats treated with folic acid showed signifi cantly reduced AChE activity in the brain and blood compared to the control group (38% and 82%, respectively). We did not observe a signifi cant diff erence between the enzyme activity in the blood of treated versus untreated rats. In conclusion, this study shows that acute treatment with folic acid decreases the AChE activity in the brain and heart of rats without aff ecting the AChE activity in the blood.