The functional and morphological damage of ischemic reperfused skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle is frequently damaged by ischemia-reperfusion both caused by direct injury and also by surgery. The purpose of the present experiments was to examine how the different types of skeletal muscles (fast and slow) react functionally and morphologically after 1 and 2 h of ischemia followed by different periods of reperfusion. The fast-twitch (musculus extensor digitorum longus, EDL) and the slow-twitch (musculus soleus, SOL) muscle of Wistar rats were prepared. They were stimulated in vivo, either directly or indirectly at different reperfusion times following tourniquet ischemia, and the contraction force of the muscles was recorded. The morphological changes were examined by light microscopy. At early reperfusion times, the contraction force of the EDL muscle was reduced by 40 and 90% after 1 and 2 h of ischemia, respectively. The contraction force was about 50% at the end of a 2-week reperfusion period in the 1-hour ischemia group and it increased significantly (from 5 to 38%) during the second week if the ischemia lasted for 2 h. Reduction of contraction force in the SOL muscle was over 50 and 90% following 1 and 2 h of ischemia, respectively, and it started to improve from the 2nd week. Morphological changes of the two types of muscle were identical. At early reperfusion times granulocytes were seen in the blood vessels adhering to the endothelium. 24 h later neutrophil granulocytes migrated into the endomysium and thereafter into the perimysium. One week after 1 h of ischemia both muscles showed normal histology. However, the structural regeneration process only started at the end of the 1st week of reperfusion after 2 h of the ischemic damage. The following conclusions can be drawn. (1) There is functional morphological evidence of ischemic and reperfusion injury in both muscles after 24 h and also after 1 week of reperfusion. (2) Functionally, the two types of muscles regenerate differently, i.e. the SOL starts to regenerate earlier than the EDL. (3) Morphologically the two types of muscle show the same reactions. An increase in the time of ischemia from 1 to 2 h delays the regeneration processes.