title: The local and systemic effects of minor injury on muscle protein synthesis in the rat.
abstract: Massive physical trauma has marked effects on metabolism of body tissues. At present, however, there is little data available on the effect of minor injury on protein metabolism. In this study we examined the effects of a minor muscle injury on the rate of protein synthesis in injured muscle as well as its contralateral control. Rats were injured by removing a small piece of tissue from the interior of one gastrocnemius muscle. Muscle protein synthesis was measured in vivo by a flooding dose technique. The injury had no significant effect on food intake, body weight, muscle protein content or plasma insulin concentration at any time during the following 48 hr. However the rate of protein synthesis in the injured muscle increased 48 hr after injury (mean value in injured muscle 16.1 +/- 1.8 (SEM, n = 18) % per day, uninjured muscle in the same animals 13.1 +/- 1.3% per day, P < 0.05 by paired t-test). These results indicate that even a minor injury causes a local increase in the rate of protein synthesis 48 hr later. This may be an obligatory part of the process of repair and regrowth of muscle tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, King's College London, U.K.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghusain-Choueiri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009132:Muscles / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D009124:Muscle Proteins