Muscle Contraction and Force: the Importance of an Ancillary Network, Nutrient Supply and Waste Removal

doi:10.3390/ijms9081472

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9(8), 1472-1488; doi:10.3390/ijms9081472

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Muscle Contraction and Force: the Importance of an Ancillary Network, Nutrient Supply and Waste Removal

Dagmar A. Brüggemann ¹ , Jens Risbo ¹ , Stefan G. Pierzynowski ² and Adrian P. Harrison ³^,*

¹ Department of Food Science, Faculty of Life Sciences, Copenhagen University, Frederiksberg C, Denmark ² Department of Cell & Organism Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden ³ Department of Animal & Veterinary Basic Science, Faculty of Life Sciences, Copenhagen University, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 30 May 2008; in revised form: 11 July 2008 / Accepted: 4 August 2008 / Published: 20 August 2008

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Muscle Contraction Mechanism, Motor Proteins Function and Molecular Aspects of Water)

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Abstract: Muscle contraction studies often focus solely on myofibres and the proteins known to be involved in the processes of sarcomere shortening and cross-bridge cycling, but skeletal muscle also comprises a very elaborate ancillary network of capillaries, which not only play a vital role in terms of nutrient delivery and waste product removal, but are also tethered to surrounding fibres by collagen ”wires”. This paper therefore addresses aspects of the ancillary network of skeletal muscle at both a microscopic and functional level in order to better understand its role holistically as a considerable contributor to force transfer within muscular tissue.

Keywords: Collagen; muscle performance; fatigue; capillary network.

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MDPI and ACS Style

Brüggemann, D.A.; Risbo, J.; Pierzynowski, S.G.; Harrison, A.P. Muscle Contraction and Force: the Importance of an Ancillary Network, Nutrient Supply and Waste Removal. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1472-1488.

AMA Style

Brüggemann D.A., Risbo J., Pierzynowski S.G., Harrison A.P. Muscle Contraction and Force: the Importance of an Ancillary Network, Nutrient Supply and Waste Removal. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2008; 9(8):1472-1488.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Brüggemann, Dagmar A.; Risbo, Jens; Pierzynowski, Stefan G.; Harrison, Adrian P. 2008. "Muscle Contraction and Force: the Importance of an Ancillary Network, Nutrient Supply and Waste Removal." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 9, no. 8: 1472-1488.

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