The Effects of Calcium-β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate on Aging-Associated Apoptotic Signaling and Muscle Mass and Function in Unloaded but Nonatrophied Extensor Digitorum Longus Muscles of Aged Rats

Figure 8

Apoptotic nuclei after hindlimb suspension. Top row: representative tissue sections from the EDL muscle, with fluorescent staining for TUNEL (green) to identify apoptotic nuclei in control and hindlimb-suspended muscles. DAPI identified all nuclei (blue). The basal lamina (red) was identified to confirm that the TUNEL-positive nuclei were myonuclei. The conditions were water control (Water control), Ca-HMB control (Ca-HMB control) of HS (Water HS), and Ca-HMB after 14 days of HS (Ca-HMB HS). The arrows show TUNEL-positive nuclei lying below or immediately adjacent to the basal lamina of the muscle fibers. Bottom row: a higher magnification showing the individual markers for TUNEL, laminin, DAPI, and the combined images. The arrows show TUNEL-positive nuclei lying below or immediately adjacent to the basal lamina of the muscle fibers.