Articles
FAVOURABLE EFFECT OF HIGH DIETARY LEVEL OF GROUND PAPRIKA ON THE CONTRACTILITY AND MEMBRANE STRUCTURE OF MUSCLES IN OLD RATS
Adult Wistar male rats were kept for 6 /SP-6 group/ and 12 /SP-12 group/months resp. on a semisynthetic diet containing 35 per cent capsaicine free, ground paprika.
Contractile parameters were determined on isolated freshly dissected skeletal muscles (SOL=m. soleus; EDL=m. extensor digitorum longus). The measurements of 3-/H/-ouabain binding were performed by methods of Norgaard et al (1983).
The tetanus/twitch ratio of slow SOL muscle from old animals was higher than from young animals.
The chronic paprika feeding markedly reduced the tetanus/twitch ratio of SOL and EDL muscles in both /SP-6, SP-12/ groups compared to old controls.
A distinct reduction of the optimum frequency in both /slow and fast/ muscles was also caused by the paprika diet.
After paprika feeding the density of 3-/H/-ouabain binding sites was increased in EDL muscle, but in SOL muscle the pumping sites density was decreased.
Paprika diet caused still the definite reduction of the KD-values /affinity constant/ in EDL and SOL muscles.
The chronic paprika feeding altered the contractility and membrane (Na+/K+-ATPase) function of different skeletal muscles in rats.
In our opinion the long term paprika feeding causes the rejuvenating effect.