Ultrastructural changes in skeletal muscle after fatiguing exercise

Thoroughbred horses were exercised to fatigue at 40, 85, and 100% of their maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) on a treadmill and completed a 1,600-m gallop on a track to identify the effect of exercise of various durations and intensities on the ultrastructure of mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) from the middle gluteal muscle. The percentage of the total area occupied by mitochondria and SR increased in electron micrographs of muscle samples collected at the termination of exercise and at 30 and 60 min of recovery compared with those collected before exercise. Mitochondrial area increased 3- to 4-fold and SR area approximately 1.6-fold after exercise at the intensities greater than 40% of the VO2max. Smaller increases occurred in response to exercise at 40% of the VO2max. Areas were not different from rest in samples collected after 60 min of recovery. The reversal of ultrastructural alterations paralleled the trend toward normalization of muscle temperature, muscle pH, and the concentrations of selected muscle metabolites.