Summary
A microscope photometer with a computer-controlled scanning stage was used to map the distribution of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity in transverse sections of skeletal muscle fibres of pigs from 9 to 29 weeks of age. Absorbance due to SDH activity was measured in successive concentric zones that converged on the central axis of the muscle fibre. In all fibres, there was less SDH activity in the axis of the fibre than in the periphery of the fibre. In fibres with strong adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity and weak overall SDH activity, the radial gradient of SDH activity remained constant as fibres grew in cross-sectional area. However, in fibres with weak ATPase and strong SDH and in fibres with strong ATPase and strong SDH, the radial gradient of SDH activity increased as fibres grew larger. Changes in radial gradients were due to both decreased SDH activity in the axis and to increased SDH activity in the periphery. In all three fibre types, the overall SDH activity per fibre increased with age.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altman, F. P. (1976a) The quantification of formazans in tissue sections by microdensitometry. I. The use of neotetrazolium chloride.Histochem. J. 8, 373–81.
Altman, F. P. (1976b) The quantification of formazans in tissue sections by microdensitometry. III. The effect of objective power and scanning, spot size.Histochem. J. 8, 507–11.
Goldspink, G. (1969) Succinic dehydrogenase content of individual muscle fibres at different ages and stages of growth.Life Sci. 8, 791–808.
Guth, L. &Samaha, F. J. (1970) Procedure for the histochemical demonstration of actomyosin ATPase.Expl Neurol. 28, 365–7.
Halkjaer-Kristensen, J. &Ingemann-Hansen, T. (1979) Microphotometric analysis of NADH-tetrazolium reductase and α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase in human quadriceps muscle.Histochem. J. 11, 127–36.
Howells, K. F. &Goldspink, G. (1974) The effects of age and exercise on the succinic dehydrogenase content of individual muscle fibres from fast, slow and mixed hamster muscles.Histochemistry 38, 195–201.
Krogh, A. (1919) The number and distribution of capillaries in muscles with calculations of the oxygen pressure head necessary for supplying the tissue.J. Physiol. 52, 409–15.
Pette, D. (1981) Microphotometric measurement of initial maximum reaction rates in quantitative enzyme histochemistryin situ.Histochem. J. 13, 319–27.
Scheid, P. (1982) A model for comparing gas-exchange systems in vertebrates. InA Companion to Animal Physiology (edited byTaylor, C. R., Johansen, K. andBolis, L.), pp. 3–16. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Swatland, H. J. (1975) Relationships between mitochondrial, content and glycogen distribution in porcine muscle fibres.Histochem. J. 7, 459–69.
Swatland, H. J. (1984)The Structure and Development of Meat Animals. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Weibel, E. R. (1982) The pathway for oxygen: lung to mitochondria. InA Companion to Animal Physiology (edited byTaylor, C. R., Johansen, K. andBolis, L.), pp. 31–48. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Zugibe, F. T. (1970)Diagnostic Histochemistry. St Louis: Mosby.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Swatland, H.J. The radial distribution of succinate dehydrogenase activity in porcine muscle fibres. Histochem J 16, 321–329 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003615
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003615