Diethylsuccinate carboxylesterase activity in sheep poisoned by copper

Plasma diethylsuccinate carboxylesterase activity in plasma was elevated within 7 days in 4 sheep which received 4 mg Cu per kg body weight in gelatin capsules daily for 100 days followed by the same amount of Cu as a drench until the haemolytic crisis commenced. Plasma aspartate amino-transferase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities in plasma were not elevated in these animals until sixty days after the Cu treatment began. Activities of all 3 enzymes in the liver homogenates from copper-treated sheep were lower (P less than 0.01) than in control animals.