Influence of environmental temperature and energy intake on skeletal muscle respiratory enzymes and morphology

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Abstract
Influence of a cold (10° C) or warm (35° C) environment and a high or low level of energy intake on respiratory enzyme activities has been investigated in porcine skeletal muscle. Scanning microdensitometry was used to measure the reaction products from mitochondrial enzymes in individual slowand fast-twitch muscle fibres. A cold environment was found to increase the activity of succinate dehydrogenase in both types of muscle fibre (PPPaa 3. The numbers of slow-twitch muscle fibres also increased after exposure to cold (PP<0.01). These results are similar to those obtained in other species after exercise or as a result of peripheral arterial insufficiency. The extent to which they could be related to local tissue hypoxia or to changes in metabolic hormones is discussed.