Effects of long-term ethanol storage on muscle architecture

This study aims to quantify the effects of long-term storage on myological properties across a sample of fresh and ethanol preserved Mus musculus specimens ranging in storage time from 16 to 130 years. Masses, volumes and densities of biceps femoris, quadriceps femoris and triceps surae were measured, and histological cross-sections of some specimens were used to evaluate the microscale effects of long-term fluid preservation. For the remainder of the sample, chemically dissected fascicle lengths were measured to evaluate the fixation effects on the linear dimensions of muscle architecture. Relative muscle mass, volume, fascicle length, average fiber area, and density, and percent fiber area were regressed against years stored in ethanol. Muscle size dropped steeply between fresh and stored samples, ultimately decreasing by 62% and 60%, respectively. These losses correlate with histologically measured shrinking of average muscle fiber area. Density of stored specimens plateaued 5% below that of fresh ones. Although muscles lost mass and volume during ethanol storage, fascicle lengths did not shorten significantly (presumably because they were preserved attached on either end to bone). This study demonstrates that muscle mass, volume and density of specimens stored long-term in ethanol should be corrected by factors of 2.64, 2.49 1.054 respectively for comparability to fresh specimens.PMID:33843155 | DOI:10.1002/ar.24638

Source: Anatomical Record - April 12, 2021 Category: Anatomy Authors: Kaitlyn C Leonard Nikole Worden Marissa L Boettcher Edwin Dickinson Adam Hartstone-Rose Source Type: research