Serum butyrylcholinesterase activity in dogs with diabetes mellitus

Increased serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity is a feature of diabetes mellitus (DM) in humans and rats. The objective of this study was to evaluate serum BChE activity in diabetic dogs. The activity of the enzyme was assessed in three cohorts of animals: (1) dogs with naturally occurring DM (n = 74); (2) clinically normal dogs (n = 74); and (3) dogs with various other diseases (n = 74). A statistically significant increase in BChE activity was found in the diabetic dogs (7.59 ± 2.9 kUI/L) compared with the clinically normal animals (6.12 ± 1.94 kUI/L; P < 0.05), and with the dogs with other diseases (5.55 ± 2.06 kUI/L; P < 0.01). Such increased activity could be the result of the altered glucose and lipid metabolism that occurs in DM.