[Acetylcholinesterase activity during pregnancy and in the newborn]

Our purpose was to determine levels of acetyilcholinesterase (AchE) activity in total blood of women during pregnancy, and liverborns, and to analyze the correlation of the enzymatic activity between the capillary and venous sample. PATIENTS, MATERIAL, AND METHODS: We included 205 samples from pregnant (22), second (25), third trimester (36), full term pregnancy (65), non-pregnant women (28), and from Newborns (29). A bivaried analysis was used to analyse the AchE activity and its association with gestational age, body mass index, tobacco addiction, and use of pesticides at home, and hemoglobin concentration.

Women at childbirth and at third trimester showed a significant increase in AcE levels by 5.75 + 1.15 U/mL and 4.98 +/- 0.87 U/mL respectively, respect to levels from non-pregnant women (4.59 +/- 0.79 U/mL). Activity in cord's blood was significatively minor (3.78 +/- 0.56 U/mL) compared with levels in non-pregnant women. There was no difference in AchE activity by tobacco addiction, hemoglobin levels, and use of insecticides at home. AchE activity by capillary and venous punction showed a correlation of 0.68 with p < 0.01 and IC 95% = 0.5171-0.8476.

Enzymatic activity showed a normal distribution and could be considered like values from a non-exposure population. We determined that possible confounding factors like tobacco addiction and use of pesticides at home have no significant effects over AchE activity. Our results are important as reference values for studies about AchE activity in women from populations predominantly exposed to pesticides during gestation.