[Effects of denervation of the masseter nerve and bite raising on the masseter muscle of developing rats].

The effects of masseteric denervation and bite raising on muscle fiber type differentiation were examined in the masseteric muscle of developing rats by histological and histochemical studies. Three-week-old Wistar rats had of their masseteric nerve at right side dissected, and a part of them were bite raised at anterior region one week after denervation for three weeks. The unoperated side and number of sham animals served as control. The animals were killed 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 35, 49 days later and then their masseter muscles were removed wholly and weighed them. After freezing of superficial and deep masseter muscles serial sections were made and HE staining carried out, ATPase staining and NADH-TR staining. On the photographs of the HE stained specimens, I measured the diameter of the muscle fibers. Gross findings on the denervated group, revealed the lower incisors shifted to unoperated side and on with the bite raising group, it shifted to the operated side. In denervated animals, the wet weight of the masseter muscle had decreased significantly. The masseteric muscle fibers in three-old-week control rats were undifferentiated on ATPase staining, but it became well differentiated on and after four-old-week. The superficial masseter of control mainly composed of type 2B fibers. In the deep masseter, about 10% type 1 and 2C fibers were found in limited area around the muscle spindles, and surrounded with type 2A and 2B fibers. In superficial masseter muscle of the denervated group, the percentage of type 2A fibers increased, and that of type 2B fibers decreased. The type 2C fibers were found from the 21st days after denervation. In deep masseter muscles, the percentage of type 1 and 2A fibers decreased, and that of type 2B and 2C fibers increased. In the denervated bite raising group, the composition of the muscle fiber type approached the control group. These results as above suggested, masseteric denervation causes degeneration of muscle fiber composition, and the possibility that early preventive treatment like bite raising may recover the muscle fiber composition normally.