Histochemical properties of muscle fibres types and enzyme activities in skeletal muscles of Standardbred trotters of different ages.
Abstract: Fibre characteristics and enzyme activities were determined for the gluteus, semitendinosus, vastus lateralis and triceps brachii muscles of 55 Standardbred trotters of different ages. Four fibre types (I, IIA, IIB, IIC) were demonstrated by histochemical staining of myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase after preincubation at different pH values. Type II fibres predominated in all the muscles and the type IIA/IIB ratio was higher in horses over 5 years than in younger horses, except in the vastus in which the IIA/IIB ratio did not change with age. The vastus had the highest proportion of type IIA fibres and the semitendinosus the highest proportion of type IIB fibres. Histochemical demonstration of NADH dehydrogenase disclosed that almost 100 per cent of the type IIA and many of the type I and IIB fibres were medium-stained; the remaining type I fibres were darkly stained and the type IIB fibres lightly stained. In older horses more fibres were stained for NADH dehydrogenase. The activity of triosephosphate dehydrogenase decreased that that of 3-hydroxy-acyl-coA dehydrogenase and citrate synthase increased in all the muscles except the vastus with increasing age. The greatest increase in oxidative capacity occurred in the gluteus and triceps. Training, rather than age, was regarded as the factor inducing these changes. The results emphasise that histochemical data are only semiquantitative, and there are apparent discrepancies in the intensities of histochemical staining and the biochemical evaluation of various enzymes.
Publication Date: 1980-10-01 PubMed ID: 6449365DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1980.tb03420.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research investigates the characteristics and enzyme activities of muscle fibers in the thighs and arms of 55 Standardbred trotters, identifying four main fiber types and finding changes caused by age or training.
Fiber Types and Characteristics
- The study identifies four fiber types through histochemical staining: Type I, IIA, IIB, and IIC. It’s found that Type II fibers predominate in all examined muscles among the trotters.
- The IIA/IIB ratio was seen to be higher in older trotters, especially those over five years. However, this trend did not apply to the vastus muscle.
- Different muscles contained different proportions of fiber types. The vastus muscle had the most type IIA fibers, while the semitendinosus muscle had the most type IIB fibers.
Enzyme Activity and Staining
- The research used histochemical staining to identify enzymes. Specifically, almost 100% of Type IIA fibers and many Type I and Type IIB fibers were medium-stained for NADH dehydrogenase.
- Type I fibers that didn’t fall under this category were darkly stained, while Type IIB fibers were lightly stained.
- Older horses exhibited higher fiber staining for NADH dehydrogenase.
Changes in Enzyme Activity and Their Implications
- Activity of the triosephosphate dehydrogenase enzyme decreased with age, while that of 3-hydroxy-acyl-coA dehydrogenase and citrate synthase increased in all muscles with age, except the vastus.
- The most significant increase in oxidative capacity took place in the gluteus and triceps muscles.
- These changes were likely induced as a result of training rather than age, providing insight into the effects of physical conditioning in horses.
- The study also highlights a discrepancy between the histochemical staining intensity and the biochemical evaluations of various enzymes, suggesting the semi-qualitative nature of histochemical data.
Cite This Article
APA
Essén B, Lindholm A, Thornton J.
(1980).
Histochemical properties of muscle fibres types and enzyme activities in skeletal muscles of Standardbred trotters of different ages.
Equine Vet J, 12(4), 175-180.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1980.tb03420.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Adenosine Triphosphatases / metabolism
- Animals
- Female
- Horses / metabolism
- Male
- Muscles / enzymology
- Muscles / ultrastructure
- NADH Dehydrogenase / metabolism
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- de Meeûs d'Argenteuil C, Boshuizen B, Vidal Moreno de Vega C, Leybaert L, de Maré L, Goethals K, De Spiegelaere W, Oosterlinck M, Delesalle C. Comparison of Shifts in Skeletal Muscle Plasticity Parameters in Horses in Three Different Muscles, in Answer to 8 Weeks of Harness Training. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:718866.
- Hedenqvist P, Trbakovic A, Mellgren T, Öhman-Mägi C, Hammarström Johansson P, Manell E, Ekman S, Ley C, Jensen-Waern M, Thor A. The effect of housing environment on bone healing in a critical radius defect in New Zealand White rabbits. PLoS One 2020;15(5):e0233530.
- Szcześniak KA, Ciecierska A, Ostaszewski P, Sadkowski T. Characterisation of equine satellite cell transcriptomic profile response to β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB). Br J Nutr 2016 Oct;116(8):1315-1325.
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- McCoy AM, Schaefer R, Petersen JL, Morrell PL, Slamka MA, Mickelson JR, Valberg SJ, McCue ME. Evidence of positive selection for a glycogen synthase (GYS1) mutation in domestic horse populations. J Hered 2014 Mar-Apr;105(2):163-72.
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- Vidal Moreno de Vega C, de Meeûs d'Argenteuil C, Boshuizen B, De Mare L, Gansemans Y, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Deforce D, Goethals K, De Spiegelaere W, Leybaert L, Verdegaal EJMM, Delesalle C. Baselining physiological parameters in three muscles across three equine breeds. What can we learn from the horse?. Front Physiol 2024;15:1291151.
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