Evaluation of enzyme histochemical observations for metabolic studies. A combined histochemical and biochemical investigation of experimentally induced skeletal muscle-changes

Summary The reliability of enzyme histochemical observations for metabolic studies on skeletal muscle tissue was investigated with a combined histochemical and biochemical study. Specimens of musculus soleus with a predominantly aerobic metabolism and of musculus flexor digitorum longus with a predominantly anaerobic metabolism of rabbits in which both muscles were surgically cross-reinnervated or auto-reinnervated were used. For the histochemical investigation activities and localisations of succinate dehydrogenase, l-glycerol-3-phosphate: acceptor oxidoreductase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide: tetrazolium oxidoreductase and of -glucan phosphorylase were examined. For the biochemical investigation maximal activity of phosphofructokinase, the rate limiting enzyme for the regulation of the glycolysis was measured. In addition the activities of succinate dehydrogenase and l-glycerol-3-phosphate: acceptor oxidoreductase to characterize the aerobic metabolism and the key role in gearing energy requirements to glycolysis respectively were biochemically determined. For further information about metabolic aspects the isoenzyme ratio of lactate dehydrogenase was established. In the present paper the histochemical findings are reported and discussed.Part of this study was taken from the Ph. D. thesis of A. C. Jöbsis (1971).