Histochemische und biochemische Änderungen in Skeletmuskeln von rhabdomyolyse-emprindlichen Trabrennpferden nach Grenzbelastung

Hereditary skeletal muscle diseases in the horse. A review

Since riders nowadays are expecting the highest level of performance from their horses, muscular disorders therefore represent a major problem for the equine athlete. A lot of research has been done to identify muscular disorders and their etiopathogenesis. Both acquired and inherited forms of muscle diseases have been described. In this review only the latter forms will be mentioned. Major signs of all muscle disorders are muscular stiffness, cramping or pain, muscular fasciculations, muscular atrophy and exercise intolerance. Muscle biopsies can help to identify the cause of rhabdomyolysis or muscular atrophy. However, especially in hereditary muscular diseases, a lot of questions are still to be answered. Increasing knowledge of the etiopathogenesis and newer diagnostic tests may lead to a more accurate diagnosis of the individual diseases in future.

The histochemical localization of reduced glutathione in skeletal muscle under different pathophysiological conditions

The localization of reduced glutathione in skeletal muscle fibres of patients with inherited or acquired neuromuscular diseases and of subjects with no apparent disease of the neuromuscular system was studied histochemically. In healthy human skeletal muscle fibres, the level of reduced glutathione is higher in aerobic type I fibres than in anaerobic type II fibres. This finding suggests that glutathione in these healthy fibres is held in the reduced state chiefly by the activity of the decarboxylating and NADPH regenerating enzyme NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase. In diseased muscle fibres, there is generally a positive relationship between the activity of the NADPH producing enzymes glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and the level of reduced glutathione. This positive relationship suggests that glutathione in these diseased fibres is held in the reduced state chiefly by the activity of both enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway.