Myofibrillar Protein Status of the Gastrocnemius in Male Rats: Effect of Mild Undernutrition

Abstract

The aim of this work was the determination of the myofibrillar protein profiles in the fed and the mildly underfed rat. Sixteen male rats were divided into 2 groups: CR (control) fed ad libitum and MR (mildly undernourished) fed 75% of energetic maintenance needs. The animals were sacrificed at day 23 and the gastrocnemius muscle was taken for myofibrillar protein characterisation. The myofibrillar protein profiles were found to be very similar in the two groups revealing the lack of preferred catabolism of myofibrillar proteins and consequently that the muscle structure is maintained even in situations of mild undernutrition.