FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
The Journal of physiology1992; 455; 447-453; doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1992.sp019310

Estimation of the carnosine content of different fibre types in the middle gluteal muscle of the thoroughbred horse.

Abstract: 1. Skeletal muscle samples were obtained by needle biopsy from one of two depths of the m. gluteus medius in a group of twenty race-trained thoroughbred horses. 2. The content of carnosine was determined in each muscle sample, part of which was used for histochemical analysis. Fibres were classified as type I, type IIA or type IIB on the basis of the pH dependent lability of the myosin ATPase reaction. 3. Muscle samples with a higher type II fibre section area (FSA) have a higher carnosine content than those with a higher type I FSA. 4. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate the mean carnosine content of individual fibre types. The results estimated a mean carnosine content in type I fibres of 54 mmol (kg dry muscle (DM))-1, in type IIA fibres 85 mmol (kg DM)-1 and in type IIB fibres 180 mmol (kg DM)-1. 5. Based on the estimated values of single fibre carnosine content, there was close concordance between the estimated and the measured carnosine content of mixed fibre samples. 6. It would appear from this and other studies that carnosine has an important role as a physico-chemical buffer in equine middle gluteal muscle and that this is greatest in type IIB fibres, where it may account for up to 50% of physico-chemical buffering of H+ produced by muscle in the pH range 7.1-6.5.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 1992-09-01 PubMed ID: 1484359PubMed Central: PMC1175653DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.1992.sp019310Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The researchers studied the amount of carnosine in different muscle fiber types in race-trained thoroughbred horses, finding that type II fibers have higher carnosine content than type I fibers. They also confirmed that carnosine plays a significant role in the chemical buffering in these muscles, especially type IIB fibers.

Research Methodology

  • The researchers took skeletal muscle samples from twenty thoroughbred horses trained for racing. The samples were obtained using a needle biopsy, from one of two different depths of the middle gluteal muscle (m. gluteus medius).
  • Each muscle sample was analyzed to determine its carnosine content and a part of it was used for histochemical analysis. Carnosine is an amino acid compound that is found in muscles and plays an important role in muscle performance.
  • The muscle fibers were classified into three types: type I, type IIA, and type IIB. This classification was made based upon the lability of the myosin ATPase reaction which is pH dependent. Myosin ATPase is an enzyme involved in muscle contraction.

Results and Findings

  • They discovered that muscle samples that had a higher proportion of type II fibers (area section) contained more carnosine compared to the samples with a higher proportion of type I fibers.
  • Using a method called multiple linear regression analysis, the researchers estimated the average carnosine content of individual fiber types. They computed a mean carnosine content of 54 mmol per kg of dry muscle in type I fibers, 85 mmol in type IIA fibers, and 180 mmol in type IIB fibers.
  • The estimated values of single fiber carnosine content were closely aligned with the measured carnosine content of mixed fiber samples, providing further evidence of the accuracy of their results.

Conclusions and Implications

  • These results and those from other studies suggest that carnosine serves an important role as a physico-chemical buffer in the middle gluteal muscle of horses. This buffering is most significant in type IIB fibers, where carnosine could account for up to 50% of the buffering of hydrogen ions (H+) produced by muscle in a pH range of 7.1-6.5.
  • This knowledge could be potentially useful for trainers and veterinarians in optimizing the performance and health of racehorses, by focusing on dietary or exercise regimes that optimize carnosine levels, particularly in type IIB muscle fibers.

Cite This Article

APA
Sewell DA, Harris RC, Marlin DJ, Dunnett M. (1992). Estimation of the carnosine content of different fibre types in the middle gluteal muscle of the thoroughbred horse. J Physiol, 455, 447-453. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1992.sp019310

Publication

The Journal of physiology
ISSN: 0022-3751
NlmUniqueID: 0266262
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 455
Pages: 447-453

Researcher Affiliations

Sewell, D A
  • Department of Physiology, Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk.
Harris, R C
    Marlin, D J
      Dunnett, M

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Carnosine / analysis
        • Histocytochemistry
        • Horses / metabolism
        • Muscles / chemistry

        References

        This article includes 16 references
        1. Söderlund K, Greenhaff PL, Hultman E. Energy metabolism in type I and type II human muscle fibres during short term electrical stimulation at different frequencies.. Acta Physiol Scand 1992 Jan;144(1):15-22.
          pubmed: 1595349doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1992.tb09262.xgoogle scholar: lookup
        2. Hultman E, Sahlin K. Acid-base balance during exercise.. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 1980;8:41-128.
          pubmed: 7016549
        3. Lindstedt SL, Hokanson JF, Wells DJ, Swain SD, Hoppeler H, Navarro V. Running energetics in the pronghorn antelope.. Nature 1991 Oct 24;353(6346):748-50.
          pubmed: 1944533doi: 10.1038/353748a0google scholar: lookup
        4. Bump KD, Lawrence LM, Moser LR, Miller-Graber PA, Kurcz EV. Effect of breed of horse on muscle carnosine concentration.. Comp Biochem Physiol A Comp Physiol 1990;96(1):195-7.
          pubmed: 1975537doi: 10.1016/0300-9629(90)90064-ygoogle scholar: lookup
        5. Rome LC, Sosnicki AA, Goble DO. Maximum velocity of shortening of three fibre types from horse soleus muscle: implications for scaling with body size.. J Physiol 1990 Dec;431:173-85.
          pubmed: 2100306doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1990.sp018325google scholar: lookup
        6. Tesch PA, Thorsson A, Fujitsuka N. Creatine phosphate in fiber types of skeletal muscle before and after exhaustive exercise.. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1989 Apr;66(4):1756-9.
          pubmed: 2732167doi: 10.1152/jappl.1989.66.4.1756google scholar: lookup
        7. Larsson L, Ansved T. Effects of long-term physical training and detraining on enzyme histochemical and functional skeletal muscle characteristic in man.. Muscle Nerve 1985 Oct;8(8):714-22.
          pubmed: 2932641doi: 10.1002/mus.880080815google scholar: lookup
        8. Brooke MH, Kaiser KK. Muscle fiber types: how many and what kind?. Arch Neurol 1970 Oct;23(4):369-79.
          pubmed: 4248905doi: 10.1001/archneur.1970.00480280083010google scholar: lookup
        9. Snow DH, Guy PS. Muscle fibre type composition of a number of limb muscles in different types of horse.. Res Vet Sci 1980 Mar;28(2):137-44.
          pubmed: 6447905
        10. Lexell J, Henriksson-Larsén K, Sjöström M. Distribution of different fibre types in human skeletal muscles. 2. A study of cross-sections of whole m. vastus lateralis.. Acta Physiol Scand 1983 Jan;117(1):115-22.
          pubmed: 6858699doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1983.tb07185.xgoogle scholar: lookup
        11. DAVEY CL. The significance of carnosine and anserine in striated skeletal muscle.. Arch Biochem Biophys 1960 Aug;89:303-8.
          pubmed: 13814256doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(60)90059-xgoogle scholar: lookup
        12. Harris RC, Marlin DJ, Dunnett M, Snow DH, Hultman E. Muscle buffering capacity and dipeptide content in the thoroughbred horse, greyhound dog and man.. Comp Biochem Physiol A Comp Physiol 1990;97(2):249-51.
          pubmed: 1982938doi: 10.1016/0300-9629(90)90180-zgoogle scholar: lookup
        13. Marlin DJ, Harris RC, Gash SP, Snow DH. Carnosine content of the middle gluteal muscle in thoroughbred horses with relation to age, sex and training.. Comp Biochem Physiol A Comp Physiol 1989;93(3):629-32.
          pubmed: 2569380doi: 10.1016/0300-9629(89)90023-6google scholar: lookup
        14. Bruce V, Turek RJ. Muscle fibre variation in the gluteus medius of the horse.. Equine Vet J 1985 Jul;17(4):317-21.
          pubmed: 2934247doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1985.tb02508.xgoogle scholar: lookup
        15. Harris RC, Hultman E, Nordesjö LO. Glycogen, glycolytic intermediates and high-energy phosphates determined in biopsy samples of musculus quadriceps femoris of man at rest. Methods and variance of values.. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1974 Apr;33(2):109-20.
          pubmed: 4852173
        16. Marlin DJ, Harris RC. Titrimetric determination of muscle buffering capacity (beta mtitr) in biopsy samples.. Equine Vet J 1991 May;23(3):193-7.
          pubmed: 1884700doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1991.tb02753.xgoogle scholar: lookup

        Citations

        This article has been cited 9 times.
        1. Wang L, Wang Y, Xu D, He L, Zhu X, Yin J. Dietary guanidinoacetic acid supplementation improves water holding capacity and lowers free amino acid concentration of fresh meat in finishing pigs fed with various dietary protein levels. Anim Nutr 2022 Dec;11:112-120.
          doi: 10.1016/j.aninu.2022.06.016pubmed: 36189375google scholar: lookup
        2. Wu G. Important roles of dietary taurine, creatine, carnosine, anserine and 4-hydroxyproline in human nutrition and health. Amino Acids 2020 Mar;52(3):329-360.
          doi: 10.1007/s00726-020-02823-6pubmed: 32072297google scholar: lookup
        3. Hoetker D, Chung W, Zhang D, Zhao J, Schmidtke VK, Riggs DW, Derave W, Bhatnagar A, Bishop D, Baba SP. Exercise alters and β-alanine combined with exercise augments histidyl dipeptide levels and scavenges lipid peroxidation products in human skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2018 Dec 1;125(6):1767-1778.
          doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00007.2018pubmed: 30335580google scholar: lookup
        4. Martino G, Mugnai C, Compagnone D, Grotta L, Del Carlo M, Sarti F. Comparison of Performance, Meat Lipids and Oxidative Status of Pigs from Commercial Breed and Organic Crossbreed. Animals (Basel) 2014 Jun 19;4(2):348-60.
          doi: 10.3390/ani4020348pubmed: 26480044google scholar: lookup
        5. Sale C, Hill CA, Ponte J, Harris RC. β-alanine supplementation improves isometric endurance of the knee extensor muscles. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2012 Jun 14;9(1):26.
          doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-9-26pubmed: 22697405google scholar: lookup
        6. Culbertson JY, Kreider RB, Greenwood M, Cooke M. Effects of beta-alanine on muscle carnosine and exercise performance: a review of the current literature. Nutrients 2010 Jan;2(1):75-98.
          doi: 10.3390/n‐075pubmed: 22253993google scholar: lookup
        7. Baguet A, Koppo K, Pottier A, Derave W. Beta-alanine supplementation reduces acidosis but not oxygen uptake response during high-intensity cycling exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 2010 Feb;108(3):495-503.
          doi: 10.1007/s00421-009-1225-0pubmed: 19841932google scholar: lookup
        8. Dutka TL, Lamb GD. Effect of carnosine on excitation-contraction coupling in mechanically-skinned rat skeletal muscle. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2004;25(3):203-13.
          doi: 10.1023/b:jure.0000038265.37022.c5pubmed: 15467383google scholar: lookup
        9. Chai W, Wang L, Li T, Wang T, Wang X, Yan M, Zhu M, Gao J, Wang C, Ma Q, Qu H. Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics Reveals Dynamic Metabolite Changes during Early Postmortem Aging of Donkey Meat. Foods 2024 May 9;13(10).
          doi: 10.3390/foods13101466pubmed: 38790766google scholar: lookup
        Subscribe to our newsletter
        Join 99,658 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.