Effect of growth on efficiency and fatigue in extensor digitorum longus muscle of the rat

The effect of growth on work output, energy consumption and efficiency during repetitive dynamic contractions was determined using extensor digitorum longus muscles of 40-, 60-, 120- and 700-day-old male Wistar rats. When work output of each contraction was normalized to the work output of the first contraction it was found that work output initially increased over the first 10-20 contractions by approximately 8% in each age group. Thereafter a faster decrease in work output was found in the youngest group (approximately 2% each contraction) compared to the older groups (approximately 0.7% each contraction). After 40 contractions the reduction in work output was significantly different only between the youngest group and the two oldest groups (-30% vs -5%). These differences in fatigue were not associated with differences in adenosine 5'-triphosphate and phosphocreatine concentrations or in lactate production. Total work output and high-energy phosphate consumption increased by approximately 555% and 380% from age 40 to 120 days, respectively. Consequently, efficiency was significantly higher (approximately 32%) in the older groups compared to 40-day-old animals. Normalized for muscle mass, mean rate of high-energy phosphate consumption was similar in all groups whereas mean power output was significantly lower in the youngest group (approximately 46%). Thus, the difference in efficiency between the young and the other groups may be attributed to a lower external power production in the youngest group rather than changes in energy turnover.