Effect of sodium fluoride on cholinesterase activity in postmortem blood
Baselt, R.C.; Shaw, R.F.; McEvilly, R.
Journal of Forensic Sciences 30(4): 1206-1209
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1198 PMID: 4067544 Document Number: 257021
Thirty-two postmortem blood specimens, with and without sodium fluoride as preservative, were analyzed for cholinesterase activity by the Michel method. The fluoridated specimens, which contained from 0.7 to 31 mg/mL (average 6.3) of sodium fluoride, were found to exhibit cholinesterase activities that were 5 to 59% (average 25%) lower than the duplicate unfluoridated specimens. We concluded that, while this decrease is quite significant, a fluoridated postmortem blood specimen may be used for the measurement of cholinesterase activity when a non-fluoridated specimen is unavailable.