Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 1981;319:81–92. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1981.sp013893

The effects of denervation on contractile properties or rat skeletal muscle.

H J Finol, D M Lewis, R Owens
PMCID: PMC1243823  PMID: 7320930

Abstract

1. Isometric contractions of fast and slow twitch muscles of rats were recorded 1-42 days after denervation. 2. The major changes occurred over the period from 2 to 6 days after denervation. These changes were qualitatively similar in the two types of muscle. The most important effects were on the twitch: times to peak and half relaxation were prolonged, active tension and peak rate of rise of tension were increased. Tetanic tension per unit cross-sectional area and the maximum rate of rise of tension decreased during this period but, in the second week, the tension recovered substantially and the maximum rate recovered completely. 3. Very small differences were seen between muscles denervated with short and long nerve stumps at day 4. 4. In the late stage of denervation (7-42 days) twitch and tetanic tension fell more than cross-sectional area, but this may have been due to greater atrophy of fibres compared with other muscle tissue. 5. Apart from this tension fall, there were only small changes in the fast muscle in the late stage of denervation. These were a fall in twitch-tetanus ratio and a prolongation of relaxation. 6. In more than half of the soleus muscles there was a late reversal of some of the denervation changes, and these muscles showed a greater degree of atrophy. The less atrophied soleus muscles maintained a prolonged twitch and a low rate of development of tension. 7. It is concluded that denervation affects the contractile properties of muscle as early and as abruptly as it does the membrane properties, and that most of the contractile changes are a direct consequence of changes in excitation-contraction coupling alone.

Full text

PDF
92

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Albuquerque E. X., Schuh F. T., Kauffman F. C. Early membrane depolarization of the fast mammalian muscle after denervation. Pflugers Arch. 1971;328(1):36–50. doi: 10.1007/BF00587359. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BULLER A. J., LEWIS D. M. THE RATE OF TENSION DEVELOPMENT IN ISOMETRIC TETANIC CONTRACTIONS OF MAMMALIAN FAST AND SLOW SKELETAL MUSCLE. J Physiol. 1965 Feb;176:337–354. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1965.sp007554. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Close R. Properties of motor units in fast and slow skeletal muscles of the rat. J Physiol. 1967 Nov;193(1):45–55. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1967.sp008342. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Engel A. G., Stonnington H. H. Trophic functions of the neuron. II. Denervation and regulation of muscle. Morphological effects of denervation of muscle. A quantitative ultrastructural study. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1974 Mar 22;228(0):68–88. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1974.tb20503.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Finol H. J., Lewis D. M. Proceedings: The effects of denervation on isometric contractions of rat skeletal muscle. J Physiol. 1975 Jun;248(1):11P–11P. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gutmann E., Melichna J., Syrový I. Contraction properties and ATPase activity in fast and slow muscle of the rat during denervation. Exp Neurol. 1972 Sep;36(3):488–497. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(72)90008-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gutmann E., Melichna J., Syrový I. Independence of changes in contraction properties and myofibrillar ATPase activity of denervated mammalian muscle on length of nerve stump. Physiol Bohemoslov. 1976;25(1):43–50. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gutmann E., Sandow A. Caffeine-induced contracture and potentiation of contraction in normal and denervated rat muscle. Life Sci. 1965 Jun;4(11):1149–1156. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(65)90104-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gutmann E., Schiaffino S., Hanzliková V. Mechanism of compensatory hypertrophy in skeletal muscle of the rat. Exp Neurol. 1971 Jun;31(3):451–464. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(71)90248-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Harris A. J., Miledi R. A study of frog muscle maintained in organ culture. J Physiol. 1972 Feb;221(1):207–226. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1972.sp009749. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Harris J. B., Thesleff S. Nerve stump length and membrane changes in denervated skeletal muscle. Nat New Biol. 1972 Mar 15;236(63):60–61. doi: 10.1038/newbio236060a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jaweed M. M., Herbison G. J., Ditunno J. F. Denervation and reinnervation of fast and slow muscles. A histochemical study in rats. J Histochem Cytochem. 1975 Nov;23(11):808–827. doi: 10.1177/23.11.127809. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kean C. J., Lewis D. M., McGarrick J. D. Dynamic properties of denervated fast and slow twitch muscle of the cat. J Physiol. 1974 Feb;237(1):103–113. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1974.sp010472. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lewis D. M. The effect of denervation on the mechanical and electrical responses of fast and slow mammalian twitch muscle. J Physiol. 1972 Apr;222(1):51–75. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1972.sp009787. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ranatunga K. W. ISOM: a computer programme for on-line recording and analysis of isometric myogram of skeletal muscle. Comput Programs Biomed. 1972 Feb;2(2):99–106. doi: 10.1016/0010-468x(72)90040-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Redfern P., Thesleff S. Action potential generation in denervated rat skeletal muscle. I. Quantitative aspects. Acta Physiol Scand. 1971 Apr;81(4):557–564. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1971.tb04932.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Redfern P., Thesleff S. Action potential generation in denervated rat skeletal muscle. II. The action of tetrodotoxin. Acta Physiol Scand. 1971 May;82(1):70–78. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1971.tb04943.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Thesleff S. Trophic functions of the neuron. II. Denervation and regulation of muscle. Physiological effects of denervation of muscle. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1974 Mar 22;228(0):89–104. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1974.tb20504.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Physiological Society

RESOURCES