Age-related changes in collagenous and noncollagenous proteins of skeletal muscle of a short-lived species of reptile.

The collagenous/noncollagenous protein ratio in the skeletal muscle of the male garden lizard increased with advancing age, suggesting increased tensile strength of aged muscle. The solubility of collagen and the soluble/insoluble collagen ratio showed a decline during ageing confirming the development of cross-linkages in the muscle collagen of ageing lizards. It is suggested that these changes are likely to disturb the efficiency of ageing muscle.