Acetylcholinesterase in the Rabbit Cornea

Abstract

There is strong evidence that the acetylcholine system is responsible for the electric currents which propagate impulses in conducting tissues.^1,2In the eye, high concentrations of acetylcholine have been reported in the corneal epithelium;³cholinesterase has been demonstrated in various other ocular tissues chemically⁴and histochemically;^5,6and high choline acetylase activity has been found in the corneal epithelium.⁷The present study is concerned with determining the concentration and localization of cholinesterase in the cornea. <h3>Methods and Materials</h3> Hestrin's colorimetric technique for determining acetylcholine⁸was used for measurement of cholinesterase activity chemically, and Koelle's method for localization of the cholinesterase in the tissues.^5,6,9-11Normal New Zealand albino rabbits were used throughout. <h3>A. Chemical Determination of Cholinesterase Activity.</h3> —Rabbits were anesthetized with pentobarbital (Nembutal) immediately prior to having the epithelium scraped off their corneas. The fresh epithelium was placed in a small ground glass tissue