Capillarization, mitochondrial densities, oxygen diffusion distances and innervation of red and white muscle of the lizard Dipsosaurus dorsalis

The white and red regions of the iliofibularis muscle of the lizard Dipsosaurus dorsalis were analyzed using histologic and morphometric analysis. These regions are composed of fast glycolytic (FG) and both fast oxidative, glycolytic (FOG) and tonic fibers, respectively. Endplate morphology and number of endplates per fiber were estimated from fibers from both areas. Capillary volume densities of the red and white regions were quantified from transverse sections. Mitochondrial volume of fibers from the red and white regions were estimated from electron micrographs. All fibers from the white region of the iliofibularis possessed a single, well defined endplate, as did most red region fibers. The remaining red fibers (28 +/- 5%) possessed an average of 14.7 +/- 3 endplates each, distributed along the entire length of the fiber at intervals of approximately 1124 micron. Red fibers possessed twice the mitochondrial volume of white fibers (7.6 +/- 0.4%, red; 3.8 +/- 0.3%, white). Mitochondria were distributed uniformly through the fibers from both regions. Capillary anisotropy was low (gamma = 1.018) in both regions. Capillary densities of the red region (629 +/- 35 mm-2) were much greater than those of the corresponding white region (73 +/- 8 mm-2). The data indicate that capillary densities, mitochondrial volumes and theoretical diffusion distances correlate well with the oxidative capacity of lizard muscle fibers. Tonic fibers of this species appear oxidative and therefore metabolically capable of functioning during locomotion. The similar mitochondrial volumes and capillary densities of reptilian and mammalian muscles suggest that the greater oxidative capacity of mammalian muscle is due in part to possession of more oxidatively active mitochondria rather than to possession of more mitochondria per se.