Structural changes in the intramuscular connective tissue during development of bovine semitendinosus muscle

Abstract

Structural changes in the intramuscular connective tissue during development of bovine semitendinosus muscle were investigated using the cell-maceration method for scanning electron microscopy, by which cellular elements were eliminated and collagen fibrils and fibres were exposed. The endomysium was discontinuous and showed various shapes and sizes in the muscle of 7-month fetuses. The perimysium consisted of collagen fibres in loose contact with each other. In the muscle of neonatal calves, the endomysium consisted of cylindrical sheaths and displayed a honeycomb structure, and the perimysium was composed of several layers of collagen fibres. Collagen fibrils in the endomysium bound ever more closely with each other, and collagen fibres in the perimysium increased in thickness, and the wavy pattern of collagen fibres became more regular with growth of cattle. We have examined the mechanical strength of the intramuscular connective tissue by our new method, ‘intramuscular connective tissue (IMCT) model’. The IMCT model is composed of collagen fibrils and fibres which maintains the organization in the endomysium and perimysium in situ. The shear-force value of the model increased rapidly from the 7th fetal month to the neonatal stage, and increased linearly with postnatal ageing thereafter. Changes in the arrangement of collagen fibrils and fibres seem to be closely related to an increase in the mechanical strength of the intramuscular connective tissue during development of bovine skeletal muscle.