Species-specific responses of muscle lactate dehydrogenase isozymes to increased contractile activity.

Analyses of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isozymes were performed in normal and chronically stimulated (10 Hz, 10 h/d) tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of the mouse, rat, guinea pig, and rabbit. The electrophoretic mobilities of the individual LDH isozymes of normal muscles revealed species-specific patterns. Stimulation up to 28 days evoked increases in the percentage of the H-subunit of LDH. The absolute increase was highest in the rabbit, intermediate in the guinea pig and rat, and lowest in the mouse. The extent of the M- to H-subunit exchange, thus, appeared to be inversely correlated with the basal aerobic-oxidative capacities of the investigated muscles. In addition, a relationship between the expression of the H-subunit of LDH and the increase in aerobic-oxidative capacity became evident from these stimulation-induced processes of metabolic adaptation.