Mouse extensor digitorum longus muscle preparation as a tool in nutrition research: a quantitative comparison to in vivo and cell culture experiments

Incubated restrained and unrestrained extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles from adult non-growing mice were evaluated as a tool in non-steady state nutrition experiments. Energy state was determined by nucleotide determinations in muscles. Protein synthesis was estimated by the amount of image-[U-14C]phenylalanine incorporated into proteins, and protein balance was measured by tyrosine release from muscle proteins. Confluent cultured L6 rat muscle cells served as a reference system in steady state without hypoxia being sensitive to growth factors and regulatory peptides at physiologic concentrations. Irrespective of medium composition, incubated EDL muscles remained in negative protein balance, being unrelated to the resting tension of the incubated muscles. Energy-rich phosphates were not restored to normal levels during incubation, but protein synthesis was not attenuated by the decline in energy state. Fractional protein synthesis (0.05–0.15%/h) remained constant for up to 6 h of EDL incubation, and was comparable to protein synthesis in cultured confluent non-proliferating myocytes (0.20–0.30%/h) and to mixed leg muscles measured in vivo (0.10–0.20%/h). Protein synthesis in incubated EDL muscles reflected alterations in muscle peptide formation in vivo following either oral provision of food or parenteral injection of insulin. EDL muscles were sensitive to in vitro exposure to both insulin (60–125 μU/mL) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) (1000 ng/mL). The sensitivity to insulin seemed to be modified by the nutritional state (starved/fed) of the animals before sacrifice. Protein synthesis in EDL muscles was less responsive to serum-containing growth factors (IGF-1, epidermal growth factor [EGF], platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF]) compared to confluent L6 muscle cells, which probably reflected different receptor expression. Our results demonstrate that protein metabolism in incubated unrestrained mouse EDL muscles reflects in vivo protein metabolism.