Does cooling affect skeletal muscle glycogen replenishment after an acute bout of fear-induced exertional hyperthermia in blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi)?

Rhabdomyolyses is a clinical sign of capture myopathy in wild animals and may be linked to glycogen metabolism. To study potential mechanisms, 26 wild blesbok were chased for 15 min and immobilised, whereafter 12 of these blesbok were doused with ice-water (n = 14 chased only group; n = 12 chased + cooled group). An additional 12 blesbok served as resting (not chased) uncooled controls. Vastus lateralis biopsies were obtained after immobilisation for biochemical analyses. Biopsies obtained at initial capture, 3- and 16-days post exercise were analysed for glycogen content. Blesbok muscles contained predominantly myosin heavy chain (MHC) IIA (∼50 ± 9 %), followed by IIX (32 ± 10 %) and MHC I (18 ± 5 %), with no difference between groups. Citrate synthase (mean: 87 ± 48), 3-hydroxyacetyl co A dehydrogenase (47 ± 17), lactate dehydrogenase (1567 ± 654), phosphorylase (162 ± 94), phosphofructokinase (250 ± 123) and creatine kinase (12,455 ± 6372) activities (in μmol/min/g prot) were not different between groups. Similarly, superoxide dismutase (7.9 ± 7 U/mg prot), catalase (8.8 ± 5.8 mmol/min/g prot), and overall antioxidant capacity (ORAC: 23055 ± 18,460 μmol/g prot) were not different between groups. Glycogen content was reduced in both chased groups and not replenished by day 3. Glycogen supercompensation was observed on day 16 in both chased groups (∼33 % higher than resting control group). The results confirm that blesbok have high muscle metabolic capacities, and that glycogen resynthesis is slow, which could lead to metabolite deficiency during prolonged chase events (>15 min).