Muscle wasting in chronic alcoholics: comparative histochemical and biochemical studies

The comparative electrophysiologic, histochemical, and biochemical investigation of the anterior tibial muscle of 13 alcoholics indicates that neuropathy could be the cause of the chronic muscle weakness and wasting. Myopathic alterations did not predominate in the findings. It was concluded that the proximal muscle atrophy could also be attributed to neurogenic damage. Histochemical reactions in muscle specimens showed a selective type 2 atrophy and a slight increase of the mean diameter of type 1 fibres. Biochemical investigations revealed that the activities of a number of enzymes representative of energy supplying pathways--the glycogenolysis and glycolysis--as well as acid phosphatase activity in the muscle were lowered. A relationship could be assumed between the lowered glycolytic activity and the decline of the mean diameter of type 2 fibres. Oxidative enzymes were of similar activity in the alcoholics and the control group. The glycolytic enzyme activities were particularly important, being the most sensitive indicators of the onset, intensity, and course of neurogenic damage. These activities probably normalise during reinnervation of a muscle earlier than do the morphologic alterations; however, they were markedly lower in alcoholics with impaired liver function and cachexia, probably because of the catabolic metabolic conditions present in these cases.