Key result
Early equine muscle development shows up to ~7-fold increased enzyme activity without dramatic fiber changes.
Why the study?
The metabolic changes in equine muscle from birth to 1 yr of age remained to be investigated.
Observational (n=16)
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Does not yet alter equine practice; extends developmental muscle data and leaves clinical translation open.
The purpose of this study was to investigate metabolic changes in equine muscle from birth to 1 yr of age. Duplicate biopsies from the middle portion of the gluteus medius were obtained from a depth of 2 cm beneath the superficial fascia at 1 day, 7 days, 1 mo, 3 mo, 6 mo, and 1 yr of age in 11 quarter horses and at 1 day, 3 mo, 6 mo, and 1 yr of age in 5 Standardbreds. Muscle enzyme activities determined were citrate synthase, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, phosphorylase, and lactate dehydrogenase. Percent fast-twitch, fast-twitch high oxidative, and slow-twitch oxidative fiber types were determined using succinate dehydrogenase and myosin adenosinetriphosphatase (pH 9.4) histochemical stains. Histochemically determined muscle fiber-type percents did not change dramatically with increasing age. However, lactate dehydrogenase activity increased threefold in quarter horses and twofold in Standardbreds, and phosphorylase activity increased sixfold in quarter horses and sevenfold in Standardbreds from 1 day to 6 mo of age. Citrate synthase and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities decreased during the first 3 mo of age in quarter horses.
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Kline et al. (1990) conducted an observational in Healthy equine muscle development (n=16). Increasing age (birth to 1 year) vs. Baseline (1 day of age) was evaluated on Metabolic changes in equine muscle (enzyme activities and fiber types). From 1 day to 6 months of age, lactate dehydrogenase activity increased up to threefold and phosphorylase activity increased up to sevenfold in equine muscle, with no dramatic changes in fiber types.
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