scholarly journals Muscle capillary supply in harbor seals

2001 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 1919-1926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane B. Kanatous ◽  
Robert Elsner ◽  
Odile Mathieu-Costello
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Skeletal Muscles ◽  
Harbor Seals ◽  
Capillary Length ◽  
Capillary Supply ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Lower Volume ◽  
Fiber Number ◽  
Mitochondrial Volume ◽  
Comparable Size

The purpose of this study was to examine muscle capillary supply in harbor seals. Locomotory and nonlocomotory muscles of four harbor seals (mass = 17.5–41 kg) were glutaraldehyde-perfusion fixed and samples processed for electron microscopy and analyzed by morphometry. Capillary-to-fiber number and surface ratios were 0.81 ± 0.05 and 0.16 ± 0.01, respectively. Capillary length and surface area per volume of muscle fiber were 1,495 ± 83 mm/mm3 and 22.4 ± 1.6 mm2/mm3, respectively. In the locomotory muscles, we measured capillary length and surface area per volume mitochondria (20.1 ± 1.7 km/ml and 2,531 ± 440 cm2/ml). All these values are 1.5–3 times lower than in muscles with similar or lower volume densities of mitochondria in dogs of comparable size. Compared with terrestrial mammals, the skeletal muscles of harbor seals do not match their increased aerobic enzyme capacities and mitochondrial volume densities with greater muscle capillary supply. They have a smaller capillary-to-fiber interface and capillary supply per fiber mitochondrial volume than terrestrial mammals of comparable size.

High aerobic capacities in the skeletal muscles of pinnipeds: adaptations to diving hypoxia

1999 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 1247-1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane B. Kanatous ◽  
Leonard V. DiMichele ◽  
Daniel F. Cowan ◽  
Randall W. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscles ◽  
Citrate Synthase ◽  
Volume Density ◽  
Harbor Seals ◽  
Eumetopias Jubatus ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Hypoxic Conditions ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Mitochondrial Volume ◽  
Hydroxyacyl Coa Dehydrogenase

The objective was to assess the aerobic capacity of skeletal muscles in pinnipeds. Samples of swimming and nonswimming muscles were collected from Steller sea lions ( Eumetopias jubatus, n = 27), Northern fur seals ( Callorhinus ursinus, n = 5), and harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina, n = 37) by using a needle biopsy technique. Samples were either immediately fixed in 2% glutaraldehyde or frozen in liquid nitrogen. The volume density of mitochondria, myoglobin concentration, citrate synthase activity, and β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase was determined for all samples. The swimming muscles of seals had an average total mitochondrial volume density per volume of fiber of 9.7%. The swimming muscles of sea lions and fur seals had average mitochondrial volume densities of 6.2 and 8.8%, respectively. These values were 1.7- to 2.0-fold greater than in the nonswimming muscles. Myoglobin concentration, citrate synthase activity, and β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase were 1.1- to 2.3-fold greater in the swimming vs. nonswimming muscles. The swimming muscles of pinnipeds appear to be adapted for aerobic lipid metabolism under the hypoxic conditions that occur during diving.

Increased capillarity in leg muscle of finches living at altitude

1998 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 1871-1876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell T. Hepple ◽  
Peter J. Agey ◽  
Larnelle Hazelwood ◽  
Joseph M. Szewczak ◽  
Richard E. MacMillen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sarcomere Length ◽  
Fiber Surface ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Fiber Structure ◽  
Capillary Length ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Fiber Number ◽  
Mitochondrial Volume ◽  
Leg Muscle

An increased ratio of muscle capillary to fiber number (capillary/fiber number) at altitude has been found in only a few investigations. The highly aerobic pectoralis muscle of finches living at 4,000-m altitude ( Leucosticte arctoa; A) was recently shown to have a larger capillary/fiber number and greater contribution of tortuosity and branching to total capillary length than sea-level finches ( Carpodacus mexicanus; SL) of the same subfamily (O. Mathieu-Costello, P. J. Agey, L. Wu, J. M. Szewczak, and R. E. MacMillen. Respir. Physiol. 111: 189–199, 1998). To evaluate the role of muscle aerobic capacity on this trait, we examined the less-aerobic leg muscle (deep portion of anterior thigh) in the same birds. We found that, similar to pectoralis, the leg muscle in A finches had a greater capillary/fiber number (1.42 ± 0.06) than that in SL finches (0.77 ± 0.05; P < 0.01), but capillary tortuosity and branching were not different. As also found in pectoralis, the resulting larger capillary/fiber surface in A finches was proportional to a greater mitochondrial volume per micrometer of fiber length compared with that in SL finches. These observations, in conjunction with a trend to a greater (rather than smaller) fiber cross-sectional area in A than in SL finches (A: 484 ± 42, SL: 390 ± 26 μm2, both values at 2.5-μm sarcomere length; P = 0.093), support the notion that chronic hypoxia is also a condition in which capillary-to-fiber structure is organized to match the size of the muscle capillary-to-fiber interface to fiber mitochondrial volume rather than to minimize intercapillary O2diffusion distances.

Greater capillary-fiber interface per fiber mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscles of old rats

2005 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Mathieu-Costello ◽  
Y. Ju ◽  
M. Trejo-Morales ◽  
L. Cui
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Type ◽  
Fiber Surface ◽  
Volume Ratio ◽  
Capillary Density ◽  
Volume Density ◽  
Capillary Length ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Fiber Number ◽  
Mitochondrial Volume ◽  
Fiber Atrophy

The objective was to examine whether muscle structural capacity for O2 flux (i.e., capillary-to-fiber surface ratio) relative to fiber mitochondrial volume deteriorates with the muscle atrophy of aging in predominantly slow- (soleus, S) and fast-twitch (extensor digitorum longus, EDL) muscles of old (24 mo) and very old (35 mo) F344BN rats compared with adult (12 mo old). Wet muscle mass decreased 29% (196 ± 4 to 139 ± 5 mg) in S and 22% (192 ± 3 to 150 ± 3 mg) in EDL between 12 and 35 mo of age, without decline in body mass. Capillary density increased 65% (1,387 ± 54 to 2,291 ± 238 mm−2) in S and 130% (964 ± 95 to 2,216 ± 311 mm−2) in EDL, because of the muscle fiber atrophy, whereas capillary per fiber number remained unchanged. Altered capillary geometry, i.e., lesser contribution of tortuosity and branching to capillary length, was found in S at 35 compared with 12 and 24 mo, and not in EDL. Accounting for capillary geometry revealed 55% (1,776 ± 78 to 2,750 ± 271 mm−2) and 113% (1,194 ± 112 to 2,540 ± 343 mm−2) increases in capillary length-to-fiber volume ratio between 12 and 35 mo of age in S and EDL, respectively. Fiber mitochondrial volume density was unchanged over the same period, causing mitochondrial volume per micrometer fiber length to decrease in proportion to the fiber atrophy in both muscles. As a result of the smaller fiber mitochondrial volume in the face of the unchanged capillary-to-fiber number ratio, capillary-to-fiber surface ratio relative to fiber mitochondrial volume not only did not deteriorate, but in fact increased twofold in both muscles between 12 and 35 mo of age, independent of their different fiber type.

Capillary and mitochondrial unit in muscles of a large lizard

1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (4) ◽  
pp. R982-R988 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. E. Conley ◽  
K. A. Christian ◽  
H. Hoppeler ◽  
E. R. Weibel
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Oxidative Capacity ◽  
Volume Density ◽  
Inner Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Capillary Length ◽  
Membrane Surface Area ◽  
Functional Relationships ◽  
Mitochondrial Volume

We asked whether capillaries and mitochondria form a structural and functional unit in the musculature of the Cuban iguana (Cyclura nubila) similar to that found in mammals. We found a significant correlation between capillary length density [Jv(c, f)] and mitochondrial volume density [Vv(mt, f)] of the musculature with a slope that revealed that on average 3.5 km of capillaries were associated with each milliliter of mitochondria (vs. approximately 11 km/ml in mammals). These capillaries had a diameter of 9 microns (vs. 4.5 microns in mammals), and the mitochondria had a surface density of the inner membranes of 25 m2/ml (vs. 30-45 m2/ml in mammals). These dimensions resulted in ratios of capillary to mitochondrial volume (0.22 ml/ml) and capillary wall to mitochondrial membrane surface area (39 cm2/m2) that were similar in Cyclura to those found in mammals (approximately 0.18 ml/ml and 35-52 cm2/m2, respectively). Also in agreement with mammalian values were the average oxidative capacity of the mitochondria derived from maximum rate of O2 consumption (VO2max) during exercise at 37 degrees C and the inner mitochondrial membrane surface area [S(im)] of the musculature [VO2max/S(im) = 0.04 vs. 0.06-0.15 ml O2.m-2.min-1 in mammals]. These common structural and functional relationships support the notion that capillaries and mitochondria represent a similar fundamental unit in muscles of both Cyclura and mammals.

Renal morphology and glomerular capillarisation in young adult sheep born moderately preterm

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Megan R. Sutherland ◽  
Waleed Malik ◽  
Vivian B. Nguyen ◽  
Vivian Tran ◽  
Graeme R. Polglase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Capillary Length ◽  
Renal Corpuscle ◽  
Adult Sheep ◽  
Glomerular Capillary ◽  
Renal Morphology ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Moderately Preterm

Abstract Preterm birth (delivery <37 weeks of gestation) is associated with impaired glomerular capillary growth in neonates; if this persists, it may be a contributing factor in the increased risk of hypertension and chronic kidney disease in people born preterm. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine the long-term impact of preterm birth on renal morphology, in adult sheep. Singleton male sheep were delivered moderately preterm at 132 days (~0.9) of gestation (n = 6) or at term (147 days gestation; n = 6) and euthanised at 14.5 months of age (early adulthood). Stereological methods were used to determine mean renal corpuscle and glomerular volumes, and glomerular capillary length and surface area, in the outer, mid and inner regions of the renal cortex. Glomerulosclerosis and interstitial collagen levels were assessed histologically. By 14.5 months of age, there was no difference between the term and preterm sheep in body or kidney weight. Renal corpuscle volume was significantly larger in the preterm sheep than the term sheep, with the preterm sheep exhibiting enlarged Bowman’s spaces; however, there was no difference in glomerular volume between groups, with no impact of preterm birth on capillary length or surface area per glomerulus. There was also no difference in interstitial collagen levels or glomerulosclerosis index between groups. Findings suggest that moderate preterm birth does not adversely affect glomerular structure in early adulthood. The enlarged Bowman’s space in the renal corpuscles of the preterm sheep kidneys, however, is of concern and merits further research into its cause and functional consequences.

Muscle capillary-to-fiber perimeter ratio: morphometry

1991 ◽  
Vol 261 (5) ◽  
pp. H1617-H1625 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Mathieu-Costello ◽  
C. G. Ellis ◽  
R. F. Potter ◽  
I. C. MacDonald ◽  
A. C. Groom
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Muscle Fiber ◽  
Sarcomere Length ◽  
Fiber Surface ◽  
Capillary Surface ◽  
Capillary Length ◽  
Hindlimb Muscles ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Degree Of Extension

It is known that a substantial amount of capillary tortuosity is found in shortened muscles. However, the increased capillary length and surface area contributed by tortuosity and branching are seldom taken into account when capillarity is estimated and/or blood-tissue exchange is modeled in muscles. In this paper, we sought morphometric estimates of capillarity in transverse sections that incorporated data on capillary geometry. We derived equations to estimate capillary perimeter per fiber perimeter (i.e., capillary-to-fiber perimeter ratio) in transverse sections. We show how capillary-to-fiber perimeter ratio is related to capillary surface per fiber surface, i.e., to the amount of capillary surface available for exchange per muscle fiber surface area, and how it can be obtained by morphometry. Because capillary tortuosity and fiber perimeter are both a function of sarcomere length, the degree of extension or shortening of muscle samples obviously needs to be taken into account when capillary-to-fiber perimeter ratio is compared between muscles and/or samples. Using data currently available on capillary length and diameter with fiber shortening and extension, we show that it is a feature of capillary-to-fiber perimeter ratio to change relatively little with sarcomere length. As sarcomere length decreases from 2.80 to 1.58 microns in perfusion-fixed hindlimb muscles of rats, capillary and fiber perimeters in transverse sections increase substantially, whereas the ratio between the two variables, capillary-to-fiber perimeter ratio, changes only less than or equal to 10-15%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ultrastructural design of anuran muscles used for call production in relation to the thermal environment of a species

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (8) ◽  
pp. 1445-1457 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Ressel
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Content ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Trunk Muscle ◽  
Trunk Muscles ◽  
Capillary Length ◽  
Cold Adapted ◽  
Call Production ◽  
High Lipid ◽  
The Family ◽  
Mitochondrial Volume

I examined the aerobic trunk muscles, which are used for call production, of male frogs from species that breed in different thermal environments to test the hypothesis that cold-adapted frogs should have fewer capillaries per unit mitochondrial volume in oxidative muscles than warm-adapted frogs because of reduced mitochondrial function at low temperatures. The species of interest were the cold-temperate Pseudacris crucifer and the warm-tropical Hyla microcephala in the family Hylidae, and the cold-temperate Rana sylvatica and the warm-temperate Rana clamitans in the family Ranidae. Trunk-muscle mitochondrial volume, V(V)(mt,f), was proportionally higher in species with higher mean calling rates (number of notes per hour), irrespective of the familial affinity of a species and the thermal environment in which it vocalized. Trunk-muscle capillary length density, J(V)(c,f), was significantly lower in P. crucifer than in H. microcephala because of significantly higher mean fiber area, a-(f). Conversely, trunk-muscle J(V)(c,f) was similar in the two ranid species. Using total capillary length, J(c), and total mitochondrial volume, V(mt,m), as a measure of maximal oxygen supply and demand, respectively, in trunk muscles, J(c)-to-V(mt,m) ratios were significantly lower in cold-adapted P. crucifer (4.3 km cm(−)(3)) and R. sylvatica (4.8 km cm(−)(3)) than in warm-adapted H. microcephala (7.1 km cm(−)(3)) and R. clamitans (6.4 km cm(−)(3)). In contrast, J(c)-to-V(mt,m) ratios in the more anaerobic gastrocnemius muscle of these species was not related to the thermal environment of a species, which may reflect capillaries conforming to microcirculatory functions, e.g. lactate removal, that take precedence over oxygen delivery. Mitochondrial cristae surface area, S(V)(im,mt), in P. crucifer trunk and gastrocnemius muscles (37.7+/−1.6 and 35.9+/−1.5 m(2)cm(−)(3) respectively) was, on average, similar to mammalian values, suggesting equivalent structural capacities of muscle mitochondria in these two taxa. Taken together, the present data suggest that trunk-muscle respiratory design may reflect a capillary supply commensurate with maximal levels of oxygen delivery set by mitochondria operating at different environmental temperatures. P. crucifer and H. microcephala trunk muscles were also characterized by a high lipid content, which contrasted with a near absence of trunk-muscle lipids in R. sylvatica and R. clamitans. The extraordinarily high lipid content of P. crucifer trunk muscles (26 % of muscle volume) may serve as an auxiliary oxygen pathway to mitochondria and thus compensate in part for this tissue's reduced capillary/fiber interface. The effect of potentially high depletion rates of trunk-muscle lipid stores on metabolic rates of male frogs while calling is discussed.

Fiber capillarization relative to mitochondrial volume in diaphragm of shrew

2002 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 346-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Mathieu-Costello ◽  
S. Morales ◽  
J. Savolainen ◽  
M. Vornanen
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Fiber Surface ◽  
Volume Density ◽  
Capillary Length ◽  
Fiber Volume ◽  
Hindlimb Muscle ◽  
Mitochondrial Volume ◽  
Flight Muscles ◽  
Mitochondrial Volume Density ◽  
Sorex Minutus

The objective was to examine fiber capillarization in relation to fiber mitochondrial volume in the highly aerobic diaphragm of the shrew, the smallest mammal. The diaphragms of four common shrews [ Sorex araneus; body mass, 8.2 ± 1.3 (SE) g] and four lesser shrews ( Sorex minutus, 2.6 ± 0.1 g) were perfusion fixed in situ, processed for electron microscopy, and analyzed by morphometry. Capillary length per fiber volume was extremely high, at values of 8,008 ± 1,054 and 12,332 ± 625 mm−2 in S. araneus and S. minutus, respectively ( P= 0.012), with no difference in capillary geometry between the two species. Fiber mitochondrial volume density was 28.5 ± 2.3% ( S. araneus) and 36.5 ± 1.4% ( S. minutus; P = 0.025), yielding capillary length per milliliter mitochondria values ( S. araneus, 27.8 ± 1.5 km; S. minutus, 33.9 ± 2.2 km; P = 0.06) as high as in the flight muscle of the hummingbird and small bats. The size of the capillary-fiber interface (i.e., capillary surface per fiber surface ratio) per fiber mitochondrial volume in shrew diaphragm was also as high as in bird and bat flight muscles, and it was about two times greater than in rat hindlimb muscle. Thus, whereas fiber capillary and mitochondrial volume densities decreased with increased body mass in S. araneus compared with S. minutusSoricinae shrews, fiber capillarization per milliliter mitochondria in both species was much higher than previously reported for shrew diaphragm, and it matched that of the intensely aerobic flight muscles of birds and mammals.

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