Distribution of Metals in Red and White Axial Muscles of Three Fish Species from the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir

The content of metals in fish fillet is an important criterion for food safety and nutritional benefits. Fish fillet is composed of both white and red muscles, but the standard method only detects metal content in white muscle. The true metal content in fish fillet can be underestimated due to this approach. So far, metal content in different types of muscle tissue of freshwater fish remains virtually unstudied. The aim of the present research was to study the metal content in red and white muscles of roach Rutilus rutilus, bream Abramis brama and pike Esox lucius that live in the Krasnoyarsk reservoir. Twenty metals were measured in the dry mass of red and white muscles of three fish species using inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES) spectrometry. The contents of macronutrients such as K, Ca and Mg were higher in white muscle fibers and Na – in red fibers. Of the 16 metals regarded as trace elements, the highest contents in the muscles were noted for Fe (20.5-177.8 μg/g), Zn (26.7-79.0 μg/g), and Al (15.2- 67.2 μg/g), regardless of the fish species and type of tissue. Li (0.01-0.09 μg/g) and Cd (0.01-0.03 μg/g) had the lowest concentrations. Among trace elements, the contents of Cu and Fe were significantly higher in the dry biomass of red muscle compared with white muscle for the three fish species. The content of Zn was higher in the red muscle of bream and pike. Almost all other trace elements also tended to accumulate in higher concentrations in the red muscle. Differences between red and white muscles in the contents of trace elements such as Pb and Sr were species-specific. The distribution of metals between the two types of muscle fibers demonstrated by the freshwater species examined in this study was similar to the distribution of metals in marine fish, except the distribution of Sr. Thus, the greater capacity of the red muscle for accumulating most heavy metals confirmed in the present study may indicate a greater risk to health in eating this type of tissue

Analysis of Titin in Red and White Muscles: Crucial Role on Muscle Contractions Using a Fish Model

Several studies have compared molecular components between red and white skeletal muscles in mammals. However, mammalian skeletal muscles are composed of mixed types of muscle fibers. In the current study, we analyzed and compared the distributions of titin, lipid, phosphate ions, and fatty acid levels in red and white muscles using a fish model (Tilapia), which is rich in red and white muscles, and these are well separated. Oil-red O staining showed that red muscle had more-abundant lipids than did white muscle. A time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometric (TOF-SIMS) analysis revealed that red muscle possessed high levels of palmitic acid and oleic acid, but white muscle contained more phosphate ions. Moreover, elastica-van Gieson (EVG) and Mito-Tracker green FM staining showed that collagen and elastic fibers were highly, respectively, distributed in connective tissues and mitochondria in red muscle. An electron micrographic analysis indicated that red muscle had a relatively higher number of mitochondria and longer sarcomere lengths and Z-line widths, while myofibril diameters were thicker in white muscle. Myofibrillar proteins separated by SDS-PAGE showed that the major giant protein, titin, was highly expressed in white muscle than in red muscle. Furthermore, ratios of titin to myosin heavy chain (MHC) (titin/MHC) were about 1.3 times higher in white muscle than red muscle. We postulated that white muscle is fit for short and strong contractile performance due to high levels of titin and condensed sarcomeres, whereas red muscle is fit for low intensity and long-lasting activity due to high levels of lipids and mitochondria and long sarcomeres.

Cardiac and skeletal muscle fatty acid transport and transporters and triacylglycerol and fatty acid oxidation in lean and Zucker diabetic fatty rats

We examined fatty acid transporters, transport, and metabolism in hearts and red and white muscles of lean and insulin-resistant ( week 6) and type 2 diabetic ( week 24) Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats. Cardiac fatty acid transport was similar in lean and ZDF hearts at week 6 but was reduced at week 24 (−40%) in lean but not ZDF hearts. Red muscle of ZDF rats exhibited an early susceptibility to upregulation (+66%) of fatty acid transport at week 6 that was increased by 50% in lean and ZDF rats at week 24 but remained 44% greater in red muscle of ZDF rats. In white muscle, no differences were observed in fatty acid transport between groups or from week 6 to week 24. In all tissues (heart and red and white muscle), FAT/CD36 protein and plasmalemmal content paralleled the changes in fatty acid transport. Triacylglycerol content in red and white muscles, but not heart, in lean and ZDF rats correlated with fatty acid transport ( r = 0.91) and sarcolemmal FAT/CD36 ( r = 0.98). Red and white muscle fatty acid oxidation by isolated mitochondria was not impaired in ZDF rats but was reduced by 18–24% in red muscle of lean rats at week 24. Thus, in red, but not white, muscle of insulin-resistant and type 2 diabetic animals, a marked upregulation in fatty acid transport and intramuscular triacylglycerol was associated with increased levels of FAT/CD36 expression and plasmalemmal content. In heart, greater rates of fatty acid transport and FAT/CD36 in ZDF rats ( week 24) were attributable to the inhibition of age-related reductions in these parameters. However, intramuscular triacylglycerol did not accumulate in hearts of ZDF rats. Thus insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are accompanied by tissue-specific differences in FAT/CD36 and fatty acid transport and metabolism. Upregulation of fatty acid transport increased red muscle, but not cardiac, triacylglycerol accumulation. White muscle lipid metabolism dysregulation was not observed.

Are yellow eels from Lake Balaton able to cope with high pressure encountered during migration to the Sargasso sea? The case of energy metabolism

Eels from Lake Balaton are unique because they do not undergo the silvering process and do not migrate. The question is whether these eels, despite such particularities, retain their ability to cope with migration constraints, usually high pressure. To ascertain this, eels were exposed for 3 days to 10.1 MPa of hydrostatic pressure (HP) and the effects of this on aerobic metabolism were evaluated by measuring oxygen consumption (MO2), Cytochrome Oxydase activity (COX) and energetic nucleotide contents in red and white muscles. The results show that Balaton eels survive HP. However, 3 days under pressure induces an alteration in aerobic metabolism. Moreover, when only muscle fibres are exposed to HP, there is a significant decrease in maximal aerobic capacities (-20%). The results are discussed in terms of the ability of these eels to migrate, bearing in mind that this activity represents a high percentage of maximal aerobic capacity when compared with other populations.