Muscle fiber formation and fiber hypertrophy during the onset of stretch-overload

Abstract

The contributions of fiber hypertrophy and new fiber formation to the onset of stretch-induced muscle enlargement were evaluated in the anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) of adult Japanese quails, because it was not known whether the mechanisms which initiate new fiber formation were dependent on first achieving significant fiber hypertrophy. A weight corresponding to 10% of the bird's body mass was attached to one wing, and eight birds were killed after each day during the first week of stretch. Muscle mass was significantly increased after 48 h of stretch; however, the elevation in nonmuscle tissue accounted for this increase. Muscle mass corrected for non-muscle tissue was significantly greater than the intra-animal control by the fourth day of stretch. Mean fiber cross-sectional area did not change during days 0-6, but cross-sectional area was 30.0 +/- 17.2% greater than the intra-animal control areas at day 7. Fiber number determined after nitric acid digestion of connective tissue was 27.1 +/- 5.8% greater than the intra-animal control at days 5-7 of stretch, but the number of fibers in the control muscles at days 5 and 6 were lower than at day 0. Thus new fiber formation was not preceded by significant fiber hypertrophy. These results fail to support a mechanism for new fiber formation which involves fiber splitting from hypertrophied myofibers during the first week of stretch.