Effects of Salbutamol, a β₂-Adrenergic Agonist, on Muscles of Growing Pigs Fed Different Levels of Dietary Protein: I. Muscle Fibre Properties and Muscle Protein Accretion

Abstract

Dietary inclusion of salbutamol (3 ppm), a β₂-adrenergic agonist, to growing pigs fed either a normal or a high level of dietary protein from 25 to 90 kg body weight, resulted in a pronounced increase in the protein accretion rate of skeletal muscles. This effect was two-fold higher when pigs were fed the high level compared to the normal level of dietary protein (16 vs. 7%). Histochemical analysis of slow-twitch (ST) and fast-twitch fibres (FTa and FTb) of biopsy samples taken either in vivo by a biopsy needle or post mortem from M. longissimus dorsi (LD) and M. biceps femoris (BF) demonstrated an increase in the relative area of the muscles occupied by FTb fibres. This was mainly due to a reduced frequency of the smaller FTa fibres and an increased frequency of the larger FTb fibres, which indicates an FTa to FTb fibre type conversion induced by salbutamol. In BF, a reduction in the frequency of and the relative area occupied by ST fibres was also found. The changes had already occured at 45 kg body weight in the LD muscle. The extent of vascularization of the muscles was not influenced by salbutamol. The level of dietary protein did not affect muscle fibre properties, nor did it interact with salbutamol. The mechanism(s) by which salbutamol induces these related changes in protein metabolism and fibre type distribution is (are) complex, and may involve direct β-adrenergic receptor stimulation as well as interactions with other anabolic or catabolic hormones.

Key Words:

• swine
• β-agonist
• muscle growth
• muscle fibre types
• muscle vascularization