Skeletal muscle metabolism in mice bearing adenocarcinoma I. Histochemical alterations in glycogenolytic, glycolytic, lipolytic and oxidative metabolism

Abstract

Metabolism of triceps, pectoralis (in the vicinity of tumor) and gastrocnemius (away from the tumor) muscles in Swiss albino mice bearing adenocarcinoma has been studied histochemically with regard to content of glycogen, lipids, phosphorylase, aldolase, lipase, succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase in the constituent fibres. At 9-10 weeks after transplantation of adenocarcinoma, a negligible glycogen content and decreased phosphorylase and aldolase activities are observed in the white, intermediate and red fibre types in the three muscles. Hypertrophy of fibres and occurrence of targetoid fibres is distinct in the muscles of tumor-bearing mice. The red fibres demonstrate a general loss of lipids, lipase, succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase whereas the hypertrophied fibres reveal intense localization of these parameters in their central zones. The results indicate that a decline in glycogenolysis, glycolysis, lipolysis and oxidative metabolism in the various fibre types may contribute to the muscle weakness and muscle wasting in the adenocarcinoma-bearing mice.