The effect of surgical trauma on muscle protein turnover in rats

The rate of synthesis and catabolism of sarcoplasmic- and myofibrillar-muscle protein was measured in operated, sham-operated and food-restricted rats by using Na2 14CO3. The food-restricted group underwent sham operations and were limited to the food intake of the operated animals. Protein synthesis and catabolism were increased in the sarcoplasmic-muscle fraction in operated rats compared with that in sham-operated or food-restricted rats. The rate of synthesis of the myofibrillar protein decreased in operated animals, but the rate of catabolism was not altered in the myofibrillar-muscle fraction of the operated animals compared with that in food-restricted and sham-operated animals. In the operated animals, there was a net loss of protein from the muscle. Thus the rats that underwent surgery lost muscle protein, primarily as a result of a decrease in synthesis of myofibrillar protein. The changes in protein turnover in operated animals were not due to decreases in food intake, since protein turnover in sham-operated animals that were restricted to the food intake of the operated rats was not different from that in sham-operated rats fed ad libitum.