Acetylcholinesterase histochemistry in the non-endplate region of skeletal muscles and effect of denervation.

We measured acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the non-endplate region of rat muscle, documenting its intrinsic activity within muscle fibers, as well as the extrinsic level in the capillaries and endomysium. When each muscle was considered as a whole, intrinsic AChE activity detected within the fibers was stronger in the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus than in the slow-twitch soleus. Analysis of individual muscle fibers also showed the same tendency with a higher value in the fast-twitch type II fibers than in the slow-twitch type I fibers. On the average, 73% of the fibers showed intermediate or strong enzymatic activity in the fast-twitch muscle, whereas 56% of the slow-twitch muscle had only low activity. Sectioning or ligation of the sciatic nerve resulted in nearly complete abolition of the enzyme in the non-endplate region of the denervated muscles within 7 days, suggesting that nerve transmission regulates AChE activity not only in the endplate, as is well known, but also outside this region. Human skeletal muscles showed the same pattern of AChE activity in the non-endplate region as seen in rat muscles.