title: Skeletal muscle atrophy in response to 14 days of weightlessness: vastus medialis.
abstract: The vastus medialis (VM) from rats after 14 days of microgravity on COSMOS 2044 (F) was compared with VM from tail-suspended hindlimb-unloaded rats (T) and ground controls, including vivarium (V), synchronous (S), and basal (B) animals. The VM is composed chiefly of fast-twitch fibers; however, it contains a deep portion closer to the bone with mixed slow- and fast-twitch fibers. In the mixed-fiber portion, type I and II fiber areas were significantly reduced in F animals. In the homogeneous portion with chiefly fast-twitch fibers, F rats also showed reductions in cross-sectional areas compared with T, V, and B but not S rats. Fiber densities (fibers/mm2) were greatest in VM from F rats. Capillary density changes paralleled fiber density changes. F animals have significantly greater density of capillaries in the mixed-fiber portion. Concentrations of protein, RNA, and DNA were highest in V controls, whereas F rats had the lowest level of total RNA. Lactate dehydrogenase activity, one measure of anaerobic capacity, was greater in F than in S rats. Citrate synthase activity, a measure of oxidative capacity, showed no significant differences between groups. Although triglyceride stores of VM were greater in F than in T rats, there were no significant differences from any of the control groups. It was concluded that VM wet weights may be a less sensitive measure of atrophy than the fiber area measurements. Fiber area decreases and fiber density increases in F animals were quantitatively comparable to those in soleus and extensor digitorum longus after 7 days of weightless flight in Spacelab 3. Our results suggest that VM shows measurable responses to weightlessness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Louisville, Kentucky 40292.
authors.forename: X J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Musacchia
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Steffen
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Fell
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Dombrowski
authors.forename: V W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Oganov
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Ilyina-Kakueva
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D006003:Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism; D014893:Weightlessness / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D009124:Muscle Proteins; D014280:Triglycerides; D012313:RNA; D006003:Glycogen; D004247:DNA; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase