Cord Blood Butyrylcholinesterase Activities in Normal Pregnant and Preeclamptic Women

Human placenta, a non-neural tissue, contains cholinergic system and high-affinity muscarinic receptors. The role of cholinesterases (CE) in trophoblast function and pregnancy is not clear.
The present study aimed to analyze cholinesterase (CE) levels in cord blood in preeclamptic women.
In the present study, maternal and cord blood butyrylcholinesterase levels were analyzed in women with preeclampsia (n = 25) and compared to those of normotensive pregnant women (n = 25) and normal, non-pregnant healthy controls (n = 25) by a kinetic method (the new DGKC method) using the AutoAnalyzer.
In the present study, maternal butyrylcholinesterase levels were lower in preeclamptics as compared to normotensive controls. Butyrylcholinesterase levels were lower in the cord blood of the babies of normotensives, amounting to 88.65% of the maternal levels. Cord blood butyrylcholinesterase levels were significantly lower in preeclamptic pregnant women as compared to normotensive pregnant women. On comparing these butyrylcholinesterase levels to the normal, non-pregnant control (Group III), it was observed that CE levels were significantly lower in both normotensive and preeclamptic women.
The findings of the present study indicate that butyrylcholinesterase levels are lower in preeclamptics and that this might be due to the loss of muscarinic cholinergic receptors that occurs in preeclampsia.