Benzoyl-L-arginine methyl ester (BAME)-esterase activity in human plasma during the gravidic-puerperal cycle.

Benzoyl-L-arginine methyl ester (BAME)-esterase activity of plasma was measured in women going through the gravidic-puerperal cycle and compared with plasma of non-pregnant women. Plasma from women in the 36th to 40th week of pregnancy hydrolyzes BAME two times more rapidly than that from non-pregnant women. During pregnancy, BAME-esterase activity in plasma increases progressively up to the 40th week, decreases during labor, and after delivery reaches the same level as in non-pregnant women. The BAME-esterase activity of plasma was affected by the storage temperature, with differences demonstrable between -20 and -4 C and between pregnant and non-pregnant women.