CONTRACTILE STUDIES OF SINGLE HUMAN SKELETAL-MUSCLE FIBERS - A COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT MUSCLES, PERMEABILIZATION PROCEDURES, AND STORAGE TECHNIQUES

The study of single muscle fibers has improved our understanding of mu scle physiology and pathology. To compare three techniques for fiber p reparation and storage, biopsies were obtained from the tibialis anter ior and vastus lateralis muscles of a hemiparetic patient and a contro l subject. Single fibers were prepared with: (1) chemical skinning (CS ) and storage at -20 degrees C; (2) chemical skinning followed by sucr ose (SU) incubation and storage at -80 degrees C; or (3) freeze-drying (FD) and -80 degrees C storage. Cross-sectional area (CSA), resting, maximal (P-o), and specific tension (P-o/CSA), and maximum shortening velocity (V-o) were determined in 189 cells. CSA was similar in all gr oups. Resting tension was higher and P-o and P-o/CSA lower after FD. I n general, V-o was the same in all groups. Our data suggest that CS an d SU preserve the properties of single muscle fibers better than FD, S U may allow longer storage of fibers. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.