Quantitative and spatial aspects of degenerative changes in rat soleus muscle after exercise of different durations
Van der Meulen, J.H.; Kuipers, H.; Van der Wal, J.C.; Drukker, J.
Journal of Anatomy 182: 349-353
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-8782 PMID: 8226290 Document Number: 411823
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of exercise duration on the amount of histological change (degeneration and cellular response), the number of affected muscle fibres, the segment over which muscles fibres were affected and the spatial distribution of affected muscle fibres in the rat soleus muscle after submaximal uphill running. Male Wistar rats ran on a treadmill (10 degree incline, 1840 m/h) for 1.5 or 2.5 h. Three days postexercise the left and right soleus muscles were removed. Serial transverse sections were cut from proximal to distal, so that individual fibres could be followed over their entire length. Histological changes were quantified morphologically. With increasing exercise duration, an increase in the histological changes were found, as were a greater number of affected fibres and an increase in the mean length over which fibres were affected. Beside occasional minor clustering, affected fibres were distributed randomly throughout the muscle.