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Matched adaptations of electrophysiological, physiological, and histological properties of skeletal muscles in response to chronic hypoxia

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Abstract

This study tried to differentiate the consequences of chronic hypoxia on the electrophysiological and physiological properties and the histological characteristics of slow and fast muscles in rats. Animals inhaled a 10% O2 concentration for a 1-month period. Then, slow [soleus (SOL)] and fast [extensor digitorum longus (EDL)] muscles were analyzed in vitro by physiological and electrophysiological measurements and histological analyses. The results were compared to those obtained in corresponding muscles of an age-matched normoxic group. After exposure to hypoxia: (1) in SOL, there was a tendency to elevated Fmax, a significant increase in twitch force and tetanic frequency and a shortening of M-wave duration, and a reduced percentage of type I fibres, whereas the proportion of type IIa fibres doubled; (2) in EDL, Fmax and tetanic frequency were lowered, the muscle became less resistant to fatigue, and the proportion of type IId/x fibres was halved. Then, after 1 month of hypoxia, in the SOL muscle, both the contractile and histological properties resemble those of a fast muscle. By contrast, the EDL became slower, despite its histology was modestly affected. Reduced muscle use in hypoxia could explain the tendency for deteriorating adaptations in EDL, and the faster properties of SOL could result from hypoxia-induced inhibition of the growth-related fast-to-slow shift in muscle fibre types.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Physiopathologie Respiratoire (Unité Propre de Recherche de l’Enseignement Supérieur, Equipe d’Accueil 2201), Institut Jean Roche, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, Bd Pierre Dramard, 13916, Marseille cedex, France

    Marion Faucher, Chantal Guillot, Tanguy Marqueste, Nathalie Kipson, Yves Jammes & Monique Badier

  2. Laboratoire de Physiologie intégrative cellulaire et moléculaire, UMR 5123, Bt 8 Raphaêl Dubois (ex 404), Campus La Doua, 43 Bd du 11nov 1918, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France

    Marie-Hélène Mayet-Sornay & Dominique Desplanches

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  1. Marion Faucher
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  2. Chantal Guillot
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  3. Tanguy Marqueste
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  4. Nathalie Kipson
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  5. Marie-Hélène Mayet-Sornay
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  6. Dominique Desplanches
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  7. Yves Jammes
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  8. Monique Badier
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Correspondence to Monique Badier.

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Faucher, M., Guillot, C., Marqueste, T. et al. Matched adaptations of electrophysiological, physiological, and histological properties of skeletal muscles in response to chronic hypoxia. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 450, 45–52 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-004-1370-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-004-1370-6

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