Effect of aging on the buffering capacity of fast-twitch skeletal muscle

The effects of aging on the in situ buffering capacity of fast-twitch muscle fibers was examined in the tibialis anterior (TA) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of specific pathogen free Fischer 344 rats. Muscles were electrically stimulated with trains of impulses lasting 100 ms at a frequency of 80 Hz. Trains were delivered at a rate of 1 Hz for 1 min with the hindlimb circulation occluded. Muscle hydrogen ion (H+) release during stimulation was estimated from the accumulation of metabolites. The free [H+] was measured using an homogenate technique. Muscle buffering capacity (Slykes) was estimated as delta mmol H+/l muscle water/delta pH unit. Muscle pH was unaffected by age both at rest and following stimulation in the TA and EDL. H+ release and buffering capacity were significantly reduced in aged TA muscle but unaffected by age in the EDL. Reduced buffering through metabolic processes accounted for only a small portion of the lower buffering capacity in aged TA. Most of the decrease in buffering capacity appeared to be due to reduced protein buffering. Therefore, aged TA muscle was less able to buffer a given H+ load when compared to adult controls. A more rapid accumulation of H+ during intense stimulation may lead to a earlier onset of fatigue in the aged muscle. It is not clear why the EDL buffering capacity was unaffected by age when the fiber mass profiles of the EDL and TA muscles appear similar (approximately 80% fast glycolytic fibers). It is possible that alterations in activity patterns with aging could have differential effects on the two muscles. Detailed activity pattern and fiber mass analyses are required in adult and aged EDL and TA muscles of Fischer 344 rats to answer this question.