Summary
Biochemical determinations of non-collagenous protein and hydroxyproline were made on rat skeletal muscles following 7 days of space flight aboard the NASA space shuttle mission SL-3. Relative to ground-based controls, the wet weight of each experimental muscle was significantly reduced. This was concomitant with a reduction in noncollagenous protein in the muscles. Protein concentration, however, was reduced only in slow-twitch muscles. The effect of space flight on the concentration and hydroxyproline content was different among the muscles. As a result, the loss of muscle mass in some muscles was the consequence of a reduction in both collagenous and non-collagenous proteins, while in others it was primarily the result of a non-collagenous protein loss.
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Martin, T.P. Protein and collagen content of rat skeletal muscle following space flight. Cell Tissue Res. 254, 251–253 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220042
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220042