ENZYMES CONCERNED WITH DIGESTION OP LIPIDS 51 



folic acid or liver extract in the treatment of anemia probably consists in 

 its role in increasing the cholinesterase activity in the body. However, 

 neither Hawkins, 289 who studied the effect of folic acid on the plasma of 

 dogs, rats, and men, both in vitro and in vivo, nor Kunkel et a/., 290 who 

 tested liver extract and folic acid in normal dogs or in those depleted of 

 plasma cholinesterase, also by both in vitro and in vivo procedures, have 

 been able to substantiate the claim that folic acid stimulates increased 

 cholinesterase levels in the plasma. 



Hemorrhage is another condition which causes increased levels of 

 cholinesterase. Pritchard 291 noted that repeated hemorrhages in rats pro- 

 duce a progressive increase in erythrocyte cholinesterase. By separating 

 out the newly formed red blood cells by centrifugation it was possible to 

 demonstrate that the younger cells have a greatly increased cholinesterase 

 content, which accounts for the average general increase noted. More- 

 over, in anemias due to severe blood loss, the elevated level of cholinester- 

 ase in the red blood cells can be accounted for by the shift in cell population 

 to younger red cells. 



Febrile conditions did not increase brain cholinesterase above normal 

 values. 292 Increased levels of cholinesterase were noted in hyperthy- 

 roidism, 293 while decreased values have been recorded in pregnancy, 294 in 

 neoplastic diseases, 294 but not in pulmonary tuberculosis. 294 A decrease 

 has also been noted in such experimental tumors 295 as Walker 256 rat adeno- 

 carcinoma, Murphy-Sturm lymphosarcoma, and Crocker mouse sarcoma 

 180. 



Levine and Hoyt 296 noted a high cholinesterase level in albuminuria. 

 This phenomenon provides an exception to the finding that the levels of 

 serum albumin and serum cholinesterase almost always run parallel in 

 various pathological conditions. 



Early and collaborators 297 found that, in 31 out of 55 cases of psychotic 

 males, an elevated e-cholinesterase obtained. No correlation was evident 



289 R. D. Hawkins, Arch. Biochem., 17, 97-104 (1948). 



290 A. M. Kunkel, S. Krop, and W. C. Wescoe, A?n. J. Physiol., 152, 309-313 (1948). 



291 J. A. Pritchard, Am. J. Physiol., 158, 72-76 (1949). 



292 C. N. Peiss, J. Field, and V. E. Hall, Am. J. Physiol, 155, 56-59 (1948). 



293 1. Gitman, I. L. Greenblatt, and N. Mitchell, Proc. Hoc. Exptl. Biol. Med., 71, 179- 

 180 (1949). 



294 M. G. Levine and R. E. Hoyt, Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med., 70, 50-53 (1949). 



295 \\r m. Govier, E. S. Feenstra, H. G. Petering, and A. J. Gibbons, Arch. Biochem., 

 35,276-280(1952). 



296 M. G. Levine and R. E. Hoyt, Science, 111, 286-287 (1950). 



297 D. F. Early, R. E. Hemphill, M. Reiss, and E. Brummel, Biochem. ./., 45, 552-556 

 (1949). 



