Met. Willems et al., Force deficits after stretches of activated rat muscle-tendon complex withreduced collagen cross-linking, EUR J A PHY, 85(5), 2001, pp. 405-411
The forces produced during stretches of passive and activated muscles, and
isometric force deficits after stretching of activated muscles were examine
d in rat plantor flexor muscle-tendon complexes with reduced collagen cross
-links (pyridinoline). Female Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 6, age 87 days) were
injected twice daily for 43 days with beta -aminopropionitrile (BAPN, 333
mg/kg/day i.p.), an inhibitor of lysyl oxidase, which is responsible for th
e production of collagen cross-links. The relative weights of the plantar f
lexor muscles were similar for BAPN and saline-injected (control, C) rats (
n = 6). Pyridinoline was lower in the tendon (22.9%), and in the plantaris
(17.1%), and soleus (7.4%) muscles (P < 0.05), with no changes observed in
collagen content (hydroxyproline), as determined by high-pressure liquid ch
romatography. At an ankle position of 90, groups had similar forces at 5, 1
0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 Hz before stretching. Forces at 40 with stretches of t
he passive muscles (five times from 90 to 40) were lower for all stretches
in BAPN-injected rats (P < 0.05). Isometric force deficits resulting from s
tretches of activated muscles (80 Hz, 20 times from 90 to 40, rest interval
s 3 min) followed similar courses for BAPN-injected and C rats, and were 51
.1 (2.4)% (C) and 54.7 (4.6) % (BAPN) before the last stretch. After 1 h of
rest, isometric force deficits were 26% and 29% larger at 10 Hz and 5 Hz,
respectively, in BAPN-treated rats (P < 0.05). The reduction in BAPN-inject
ed collagen cross-linking of the skeletal muscle-tendon complex reduced the
forces produced during stretches without muscle stimulation (i.e. passive
stretch), and stretching of activated muscles produced larger isometric for
ce deficits only at low stimulation frequencies.