Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Measurement of Mitochondrial Respiration in Human and Mouse Skeletal Muscle Fibers by High-Resolution Respirometry
Published on: October 4, 2024
Quantification of changes in muscle from individuals with and without mitochondrial disease
Kerry Sleigh1, Susan Ball, David A Hilton
1Department of Cellular and Anatomical Pathology, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth PL6 8DH, UK.
Introduction:
Muscle biopsy is used in the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders. There are limited data on the normal ranges, so interpretation of findings can be difficult.
Methods:
We evaluated the percentage of fibers showing mitochondrial abnormalities using Gomori trichrome staining, succinate dehydrogenase, and cytochrome oxidase histochemistry in autopsy samples taken from 45 individuals without evidence of muscle disease and biopsies from 17 patients with mitochondrial disorders.
Results:
In controls, mitochondrial abnormalities were rare before the fifth decade, and most had <0.1% abnormal fibers. The proportion of abnormal fibers increased with age and was higher in deltoid than quadriceps. Most patients with mitochondrial disorders had >0.5% abnormal fibers.
Conclusions:
Although some patients with mitochondrial disease have very few muscle fibers that show mitochondrial abnormalities, a rate of abnormality of >0.5% fibers, in the absence of a primary muscle disease this should raise the possibility of a mitochondrial disorder.
