Relationships between mitochondrial content of muscle fibres and patterns of glycogen depletion postmortem

Abstract

Sternomandibularis muscles were removed from slaughtered adult cattle immediately after exsanguination. On the basis of the density of diformazan granules deposited by a reaction for NAD tetrazolium reductase, approximately equal numbers of muscle fibres with high and low mitochondrial content were identified in serial frozen sections. In samples taken immediately after exanguination both types of muscle fibres exhibited glycogen phosphorylase activity and were stained equally by the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction for glycogen. In unstimulated muscle samples 1 hr postmortem, no loss of PAS staining was detected. In electrically stimulated samples 1 hr postmortem, large numbers of muscle fibres with a low mitochondrial content but only some muscle fibres with a high mitochondrial content became PAS-negative. Stimulation-induced glycogen depletion was completely prevented by the interfaicular injection of magnesium sulphate solution. In unstimulated samples between 5 and 24 hr postmortem, some muscle fibres with a high mitochondrial content but only a few muscle fibres with a low mitochondrial content became PAS-negative.