View article

Microbiopsies of human skeletal muscle are increasingly adopted by physiologists for a variety of experimental assays given the reduced invasiveness of this procedure compared to the classic Bergstrom percutaneous biopsy technique. However, a recent report demonstrated lower mitochondrial respiration in saponin-permeabilized muscle fiber bundles (PmFB) prepared from microbiopsies vs. Bergstrom biopsies. We hypothesized that ADP-induced contraction (rigor) of smaller length microbiopsy PmFB causes a greater reduction in maximal respiration vs. Bergstrom, such that respiration could be increased by a myosin II ATPase-inhibitor (Blebbistatin; BLEB). Eleven males and females each received a 2 mm diameter percutaneous microbiopsy and a 5 mm diameter Bergstrom percutaneous biopsy in opposite legs. Glutamate/malate (5/0.5 mM)—supported respiration in microbiopsy PmFB was lower than Bergstrom at submaximal concentrations of ADP. 5 μM BLEB reduced this impairment such that there were no differences relative to Bergstrom ± BLEB. Surprisingly, pyruvate (5 mM)-supported respiration was not different between either biopsy technique ±BLEB, whereas BLEB increased succinate-supported respiration in Bergstrom only. H₂O₂ emission was lower in microbiopsy PmFB compared to Bergstrom PmFB in the presence of BLEB. Microbiopsies contained fewer type I fibers (37 vs. 47%) and more type IIX fibers (20 vs. 8%) compared to Bergstrom possibly due to sampling site depth and/or longitudinal location. These findings suggest that smaller diameter percutaneous biopsies yield lower glutamate-supported mitochondrial …