Skeletal muscle characteristics in red blood cell normovolaemic and hypervolaemic standardbred racehorses

Muscle biopsy specimens from the middle gluteal muscle were studied in 16 red blood cell hypervolaemic (Group HV) and 19 normovolaemic (Group NV) Standardbred racehorses. All horses were stallions, 4-8 years old and having similar mean racing performance values, as described by an individual selection index value. All horses raced regularly but those in Group HV did not perform as expected and were therefore referred to the clinics for exercise tolerance testing. Muscle biopsy specimens were analysed for fibre type distribution (Type I, IIA and IIB), fibre area and relative fibre area. In addition, oxidative capacity of the fibres was evaluated by staining for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) tetrazolium reductase, and the activities of citrate synthase, 3-OH-acyl CoA dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase were analysed in whole-muscle samples. With the exception of a higher percentage of Type IIB fibres in Group HV having a high oxidative capacity as evaluated by the NADH stain, no significant difference were found in fibre composition, fibre area or enzyme activity between the Groups HV and NV.

Muscle characteristics in standardbreds of different ages and sexes

Biopsy samples were taken from the middle gluteal muscle in 107 health Standardbred horses. The horses were separated according to sex and divided into 4 age groups (1, 2, 3 and 4-6 years). The proportion of Type I fibres increased with age (from 16 to 20%), irrespective of sex. The proportions of Type IIA and IIB fibres varied with age and differed between stallions and mares. Type IIA fibres increased in mares from 37 to 47% and in stallions from 40 to 48% and Type IIB fibres decreased from 49 to 34% in mares, and from 43 to 30% in stallions. Mares and stallions did not differ in enzyme activities, which changed with age. The activity of citrate synthase increased from 30 to 62 mmol/kg/min and that of lactate dehydrogenase decreased from 1,930 to 1,565 mmol/kg/min. The relative area of each fibre type was measured in biopsy samples from 7 mares and 7 stallions aged 1 year and 7 mares and 11 stallions aged 4-6 years. The relative areas of Type IIA and IIB fibres changed with age and differed between sexes. The relative area of Type IIA fibres increased in mares from 30 to 35% and in stallions from 33 to 47% and that of Type IIB fibres decreased in mares from 63 to 54% and in stallions from 55 to 38% between the ages of 1 and 4-6 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Skeletal muscle characteristics in young trained and untrained standardbred trotters

Muscle biopsies were taken from the middle gluteal muscle of 28 Standardbred trotters, 3-4 years of age. The 13 horses in Group T were trained consistently from 18 months of age, whereas the 15 horses in Group UT were not exposed to any systematic training before 3 years of age. Group T horses had a lower percentage of Type IIB fibres (31%) than did Group UT horses (39%). Citrate synthase (CS) activity, representing oxidative capacity, was higher in Group T (72 mmol kg-1 min-1) than in Group UT (47 mmol kg-1 min-1). Biopsies were taken from 4 horses in each group when they were foals and then annually until 3-4 years of age. Results from this study indicate that regular training of Standardbreds from 18 months of age resulted in increased CS activity and a decrease in the percentage of Type IIB fibres. This study shows that training, not growth, is the main factor that induces a high oxidative capacity and a high Type IIA/IIB fibre ratio in muscle of Standardbred trotters.

Muscle characteristics in Thoroughbreds of different ages and sexes

Muscle biopsies were taken from the middle gluteal muscle in 163 healthy Thoroughbreds aged one to six years. The horses were separated according to sex and divided into four different age groups (one, two, three and four to six years). Muscle biopsies were analysed for fibre type (I, IIA and IIB), and the enzyme activities of citrate synthase, 3-OH-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase and hexokinase were measured. The percentage of Type I fibres of all horses increased with age, irrespective of sex (from 9 to 16 per cent). The percentage of Type IIA fibres varied with age and sex, increasing in stallions from 34 to 53 per cent and in mares from 27 to 45 per cent, respectively. Correspondingly, the proportion of Type IIB fibres decreased with age and differed between sexes (stallions from 56 to 29 per cent and mares from 65 to 40 per cent) Muscle oxidative capacity increased with age as indicated by significant increases in the activities of citrate synthase (from 32 to 67 mmol/kg/min) and 3-OH-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (from 20 to 34 mmol/kg/min). The activity of hexokinase increased with age (from 2.4 to 4.8 mmol/kg/min), whereas the activity of lactate dehydrogenase decreased (from 1,754 to 1,444 mmol/kg/min). No differences were seen between stallions and mares in enzyme activities. This study shows that age is one factor influencing enzyme activities, the percentage of Type I fibres and the Type IIA/IIB ratio in M. gluteus medius of Thoroughbreds, and that stallions have a higher Type IIA/IIB ratio compared with mares.