Conde Martel A, González Reimers E, González Hernández T, Santolaria Fernández F, Martínez Riera A, Marchena Gómez J
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, España.
Nutr Hosp. 1998 Nov-Dec;13(6):309-11.
Muscle morphological alterations derived from protein malnutrition are subjected to debate, specially regarding the alteration of the proportion of the different fibre types. The aim of the present study was to analyse the morphologic changes of the different muscle fibre types in experimental protein malnutrition. Twelve male Wistar rats were fed on a 6% protein containing diet, and another 12 rats were fed on an isocaloric, 20% protein containing diet as control group. Right gastrocnemius muscle was removed. Fibre diameter and relative proportions of type I, IIa and IIb muscle fibre (by means of the myosin-ATPasa reactivity) were evaluated. Protein deprived rats showed a significant decrease in the mean diameter of type IIb fibres and also a decrease of the proportion of the type IIb fibres.
