Serum CK, calcium, magnesium, and oxidative phosphorylation in mdx mouse muscular dystrophy

Serum creatine kinase (CK) activity, calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) contents of skeletal muscle and isolated mitochondria, as well as oxidative phosphorylation of X-linked muscular dystrophic (mdx) mice were compared with normal control animals at ages 5, 10, and 23 weeks. Serum CK is elevated in mdx mice at all ages, with highest activities at 5 weeks. The Ca content of dystrophic skeletal muscle is increased at all ages, whereas no clearly abnormal trend in muscle Mg levels was observed. Noncollagen protein (NCP), which was used as a reference base, is significantly diminished in muscle from 10- and 23-week-old mdx animals. Isolated mitochondria from mdx mice have elevated calcium content and decreased respiratory control ratios with NAD-linked substrates pyruvate/malate. The findings are distinct from those in dystrophic mice, strain 129/ReJ, but similar to observations in dystrophic hamsters and Duchenne muscular dystrophy and reflect the occurrence of overt muscle cell necrosis.