Enzymatic heterogeneity of the capillary bed of rat skeletal muscles

✍ Scribed by Mrázková, Olga ;Grim, Miloš ;Carlson, Bruce M.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 915 KB
• Volume: 177
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0002-9106
• DOI: 10.1002/aja.1001770203

✦ Synopsis

This study of the capillaries in rat skeletal muscle involved the use of a histochemical method that allows one to distinguish between arterial and venous portions of capillaries. Under controlled staining conditions, the arterial portion of the capillary bed reacts positively for alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, and the venous portion is positive for dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPP IV) activity. A short transitional capillary segment is positive for the activity of both enzymes. Capillaries of the normal soleus muscle and the red and white portions of the sternomastoid muscle have been quantitatively analyzed. Quantitative data demonstrated differences in capillary dimensions among the muscles studied. Capillaries of the white part of the sternomastoid were the longest, and they had the shortest DPP IV-positive segment (8% of the total capillary length). Capillaries of the soleus muscle Address reprint requests to Dr.