Ultrastructure and Activity of Some Enzymes of Energy Metabolism of Skeletal Muscle in Experimental Energy Deficiency

Abstract

The ultrastructure of skeletal muscle and activity of some enzymes of energy metabolism were studied to assess the effect of a deficiency of dietary energy and subsequent nutritional rehabilitation in 24 young, growing, healthy rhesus monkeys. Electron microscopy of muscles on energy-deficient animals showed thinning of myofibrils with widening of interfibrillar space and enlargement and accumulation of mitochondria at subsarcolemmal level. There was an apparent significant reduction in the fiber size. Muscle samples from each animal were analyzed for enzymes representative of glycolysis (phosphofructokinase [PFK] and lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], citric-acid cycle (isocitric dehydrogenase [ICDH] and citrate synthase [CS] and regeneration of ATP (creatine kinase [CK]. PFK and LDH activities were significantly augmented in energy-deficient animals. The increase in LDH activity resulted from a large increase in MU (skeletal muscle) LDH subunit. The activities of CS and ICDH were reduced. No alteration of CK in muscle and serum was observed. The morphological structure and enzyme activities returned to normal after nutritional rehabilitation.