Histochemical characteristics of human expiratory and inspiratory intercostal muscles

The relative occurrence of slow-twitch (ST) and fast-twitch (FTa and FTb) fibers, fiber size, and capillary supply in internal (INT) and external intercostal muscles (EXT), the costal diaphragm (DIA), and vastus lateralis muscle (VAS) was examined post-mortem in eight healthy males. The relative occurrence of ST fibers in INT [64 +/- 3% (SE)] and EXT (62 +/- 3%) was similar but higher than in DIA (49 +/- 3%) and VAS (40 +/- 6%; P less than 0.05). The occurrence of FTa fibers in expiratory INT (35 +/- 3%) was higher than in inspiratory INT and EXT (17 +/- 1%; P less than 0.05) but similar to DIA (28 +/- 6%) and VAS (32 +/- 2%). Accordingly, expiratory INT had fewer FTb fibers (1 +/- 1%) than the others (P less than 0.05). Expiratory INT had a 60% larger fiber area than inspiratory INT and EXT and DIA (P less than 0.05), but the area was similar to that of VAS. The number of capillaries per fiber was higher in expiratory INT (2.3 +/- 0.1) than in inspiratory INT and EXT (1.6 +/- 0.1), DIA (1.9 +/- 0.1), and VAS (1.8 +/- 0.2; P less than 0.05). The results suggest that the occurrence of many large capillary-rich FTa fibers in expiratory INT is bound to function (expiratory vs. inspiratory) rather than to anatomy (INT vs. EXT).