The gastrocnemius muscle was removed from the hindlimb of female rodents, minced into 1mm3 fragments and autotransplanted. Experimental groups had the sural or tibial nerves laid in the mince as follows: both nerves (BN), sural only (SN), tibial only (TN) or no nerve (NN). Animals were sacrificed 45 days postsurgery and the regenerate and contralateral muscles studied for fiber composition and aerobic capacity. Regenerate mass and aerobic capacity were significantly less than control and followed the order BN > TN > SN > NN. The percentage of Types I, IIA and IIB fibers were also different between treatment groups. The data suggests (1) either a more rapid development of axons associated with IIA fibers following nerve transection or greater reinnervation capacity, and/or (2) a shift in the relative number of these axons in the regenerating nerve.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/182486 |
| Date | January 1981 |
| Creators | Watson, Peter A. |
| Contributors | Van Handel, Peter J. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 50 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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