[Ultrastructure of the neuromuscular junctions in the rat soleus muscle under varying gravity conditions]. / Ul'trastruktura nervnomyshechnykh soedinenii kambalovidnoi myshtsy (m. soleus) krysy pri izmenenii uslovii gravitatsii.

Changes in the ultrastructure of neuromuscular junctions have been considered as an index to adaptation of Wistar rats (whose pre- and postnatal ontogenesis proceeded on a centrifuge under constant rotation until the age of two months) to the hypergravity conditions (2G) and, then, to earth gravity (1G): on the 2nd and 15th days after centrifuge stoppage. The dynamic of synaptic vesicles was shown: their number increased at 2G and gradually decreased at 1G. Local damage of muscle fibers, partial separation of the motor axonal terminal from intrafusal fiber, and membrane twisting were noted at the increased gravity-dependent static load (2G). Neuromuscular junctions with signs of remodeling occurred more frequently in the experimental rats than in the control ones. It was proposed that adaptation of rats to 1G gravity after a prolonged sojourn under the hypergravity conditions (2G) was not completed within the studied period.

[Ultrastructure of type 2A extrafusal muscle fibers and intrafusal fibers of the muscle spindle (m. quadriceps femoris) from the adult rat after long-term swimming]. / Ul'trastruktura ékstrafuzal'nykh myshechnykh volokon tipa 2A i intrafuzal'nykh volokon myshechnogo veretena (m. quadriceps femoris) vzrosloi krysy posle prolongirovannogo plavaniia.

We compared the ultrastructure of type 2A extrafusal muscle fibers, the nuclear chain, and other intrafusal fibers of muscle spindle (muscle stretch mechanoreceptor) in adult rats after a prolonged swimming (5-10 h/day, 10 days). The Golgi apparatus was expressed moderately in type 2A extrafusal fibers and hypertrophied in the motor B zone of nuclear chain intrafusal fibers. Intense development of the Golgi apparatus in the nuclear chain intrafusal fiber appears to be related to glycogenolysis in the autophagous vacuoles, involvement in the lysosome activity, and plasma membrane renewal. "Recapitulation" of the mechanism of glycogen autophagy, which is observed in newborn rats during mobilization of glycogen from the liver and muscle, was demonstrated in adult rats under the influence of physical load in the nuclear chain and nuclear bag 2 intrafusal fibers and in type 2A extrafusal fibers. This is accounted for by a weak differentiation of the intrafusal muscle fibers: structurally, they are similar to myotubes and have specific features of blood supply and innervation. Individual features of experimental adult rats may also play a certain role.

[Ultrastructural characteristics of rat neuromuscular junctions after physical load]. / Ul'trastrukturnye kharakteristiki nervno-myshechnykh soedinenii krys posle fizicheskikh nagruzok.

It is interesting to ascertain the adaptive reaction of rat neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) of muscle fibers of different types to a chronic physical load. We examined ultrastructural changes in NMJ following both static load (pre- and postnatal ontogenesis of Wistar rats till a 2 month age took place under a constant rotation on the centrifuge at hypergravity conditions 2G), and after three kinds of dynamic loads (1/run on treadmill with a speed 35 m/min for 6 wks, 10-60 min/day; 2/swimmings, each 10 hrs/day for 10 days; 3/strength exercises on a vertical treadmill with load for 6 wks). Differences in NMJ reaction of muscle fibers of the same type to various loads were established. A low secretory activity of axonal terminals of type I muscle fibers of m. soleus was shown after the static load. The dynamic load (run) is accompanied with a high secretory activity of axonal terminals in m. soleus type I muscle fibers and of some axonal terminals of m. quadriceps femoris IIB type muscle fibers after strength exercises; the secretory activity of axonal terminals of m. quadriceps femoris IIA and IIB types muscle fibers is expressed in a lesser degree after swimming. The NMJ ultrastructure remodelling (terminal renewal) of type I muscle fibers of the 2 month old control rats increases after static and dynamic (run) loads. Some correlations between different kinds of physical load, muscle fiber type and the degree of NMJ ultrastructure transformation have been shown.

The effect of increased functional load on the activation of satellite cells in the skeletal muscle of adult rats.

The comparison of the number of satellite cells in the fast oxidative glycolytic muscle fibers of m. quadriceps femoris in males of normal Wistar rats aged 16-17 weeks (5 animals) and rats trained for endurance (5 animals) was made. After six weeks of treadmill running at a speed of 35 m/min in an increasing regimen, the number of satellite cells in trained animals (9.59 +/- 1.09%) increased over 2.5-fold in comparison to controls (3.41 +/- 0.26%) within 24 hours. At the ultrastructural level complete and focal injuries of some muscle fibers and the partial denervation of individual muscle fibers were recorded in trained rats. It was proposed that the focal functional denervation of muscle fibers could be one of the factors for the activation of satellite cells in endurance exercise. Some trained rats demonstrated small groups of extra- and perisynaptic satellite cells under the basal membrane of muscle fibres, partial detachment of satellite cells from the surface of muscle fiber and presence in the interstitial space cell containing filaments.

[Destructive and restorative processes of the liver in rats under intensive physical loading]. / Destruktivnye i vosstanovitel'nye protsessy v pecheni krys pri intensivnoi fizicheskoi nagruzke.

The ultrastructure of rat liver cells after running exercise was investigated. When rats were trained for a month and sacrificed immediately after the last exercise it was revealed that the number of liver cells mitochondria increased, but many of them had alterations: mitochondria became swollen, had lucid matrix. There were some variations in degree of alterations between different mitochondria: a) in the same hepatocyte, b) in different hepatocytes of the same animal, that was connected with individual sensitivity of organelles on the levels of the cell and of the organ. Rough endoplasmic reticulum bore few ribosomes. Glycogen was absent. There were abundant vesicles of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, autophagic vacuoles and peroxisomes in the liver cell cytoplasm. Adaptation of rat liver to the exercise programme becomes evident by 1.5 month of exercise. Mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum were numerous and of normal structure. There were many peroxisomes and glycogen granules in the cytoplasm of hepatocyte. The presence of large autophagic vacuoles in the cytoplasm of some hepatocytes were obviously connected with more rapid destruction of some organelles, than in control.

[Ultrastructure of neuromuscular synapses during administration of dexamethasone]. / Ul'trastruktura nervo-myshechnykh sinapsov pri vvedenii deksametazona.

Dexamethasone administration to rats at a dose of 100 micrograms/100 g body weight for 10 days resulted in the appearance of large synaptic vesicles in axon terminals, migration of synaptic vesicles to synaptic slits, local broadening of synaptic slit, proliferation of mitochondria in pre- and postsynaptic zones of the axomuscular synapses, destruction of myofibrils and other organelles in the postsynaptic area and the presence of lysosomes in this region.