Abstract
The effect of four weeks of ankle immobilization on muscle mass and in situ contractile properties of soleus (SOL), plantaris (PLA), and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) of 31- and 37-monthold (mo) Fisher 344/Brown Norway rats was examined. Following contractile tests, muscles were harvested, weighed, and analyzed for fiber type and fiber cross-sectional area. Body weights (g) were similar in both control (CON) groups (31 mo, 578±20; 37 mo, 553±26; mean±SE) and both immobilized (IM) groups (31 mo, 496±6; 37 mo, 461±15). Immobilization-related differences in peak tetanic tension (g) were less in 37 mo than 31 mo rats (age 3treatment, p <0.05) for SOL (31 mo, CON 156±11, IM 63±12; 37 mo, CON 70±6, IM 46±8), PLA (31 mo, CON 435±13, IM 239±40; 37 mo, CON 155±14, IM 152±20) and EDL (31 mo, CON 227±13, IM 139±17; 37 mo, CON 117±16, IM 108±4). Immobilization-related differences in muscle mass (mg) were smaller in 37 mo rats compared to 31 mo animals for SOL (31 mo, 206±14 vs 129±8, 37 mo, 148±5 vs 114±2, age 3 treatment p<0.06) and PLA (31 mo, 409±14 vs 257±22, 37 mo, 234±17 vs 181±18, age 3 treatment p<0.05), but immobilization-related muscle mass differences were similar in both age groups for EDL (31 mo, 178±7 vs 134±9; 37 mo, 157±10 vs 112±7). There were no immobilization-related changes in fiber type distribution in any of the three muscles studied in either age group. The results suggest that disuse-related change is diminished when superimposed on muscles that have already undergone marked age-related decline.
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Fisher, J.S., Brown, M. Immobilization effects on contractile properties of aging rat skeletal muscle. Aging Clin Exp Res 10, 59–66 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03339635
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03339635