Effect of adrenocorticotrophic hormone on muscle acetylcholinesterase and nonspecific esterase.

Acetylcholinesterases in the muscle homogenates of hamsters receiving ACTH intraperitoneally for six weeks were reduced as compared to the activities in the control samples. In polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis of the ACTH-treated muscles some acetylcholinesterase bands were absent. These observations may be significant in explaining the ACTH-induced improvement in myasthenia gravis patients and in the pathophysiology of steroid myopathy.