Collection of Skeletal Muscle Biopsies from the Superior Compartment of Human Musculus Tibialis Anterior for Mechanical Evaluation

Summary

This technical report describes a variation of the modified Bergström technique for the biopsy of the musculus tibialis anterior that limits fiber damage.

Abstract

The mechanical properties of contracting skeletal fibers are crucial indicators of overall muscle health, function, and performance. Human skeletal muscle biopsies are often collected for these endeavors. However, relatively few technical descriptions of biopsy procedures, outside of the commonly used musculus vastus lateralis, are available. Although the biopsy techniques are often adjusted to accommodate the characteristics of each muscle under study, few technical reports share these changes to the greater community. Thus, muscle tissue from human participants is often wasted as the operator reinvents the wheel. Expanding the available material on biopsies from a variety of muscles can reduce the incident of failed biopsies. This technical report describes a variation of the modified Bergström technique on the musculus tibialis anterior that limits fiber damage and provides fiber lengths adequate for mechanical evaluation. The surgery is an outpatient procedure that can be completed in an hour. The recovery period for this procedure is immediate for light activity (i.e., walking), up to three days for the resumption of normal physical activity, and about one week for wound care. The extracted tissue can be used for mechanical force experiments and here we present representative activation data. This protocol is appropriate for most collection purposes, potentially adaptable to other skeletal muscles, and may be improved by modifications to the collection needle.

Introduction

The study of human muscle physiology for clinical or research purposes often requires muscle biopsies. For example, a major challenge in human muscle physiology and biomechanics is to distinguish between and understand the various adaptations of muscle performance to exercise. Performance adaptations do not just include structural adaptations (e.g., changes in contractile proteins, muscle architecture) but also include neural adaptations¹, which are very hard, if not impossible, to assess separately when testing intact in situ human muscles. Fiber-level experiments remove these higher-order components and allow for a more direct evaluation of m....

Protocol

NOTE: Below, we outline a protocol to harvest mechanically undamaged fibers from the TA of volunteers who were enrolled in a separate ongoing study. This protocol is similar to that described by Shanely et al.³, who have described the modified Bergström technique in vastus lateralis. The information presented here has been refined by our research group but may not be ideal for all lab groups or organizational setups. We give only guidelines, and strongly suggests that laboratories new to biopsy collection consult experienced laboratory groups before attempting any human trials.

All studies conducted in this pape....

Results

The entire time commitment for a participant was about one hour (10 min consultation, 10 min ultrasound, 20 min surgery preparation and anesthetic administration, 10 min surgery, and 10 min recovery). Often, participants unconsciously activated their TA and needed consistent reminders to keep the muscle as relaxed as possible. When the biopsy needle was inside the muscle, participants usually reported a unique “pressure” sensation in the area around the biopsy needle, with occasional periods of moderate to in.......

Discussion

In this report, we described a technique for the biopsy of structurally undamaged muscle tissue from TA. We found that this procedure yields an acceptable content of usable muscle fibers (5-10 fiber bundle preparations per 50 mg of collected tissue) for mechanical testing. Further, we had enough tissue for follow-up mechanical, genetic, and proteomic experiments.

There are several methods typically used for the collection of muscle biopsies^3,

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
26 guage subcutaneous needle with 2 ml glass syringe	B. Braun Melsungen AG Carl-Braun-Straße 1 34212 Melsungen, Hessen Germany	4606027V	Drug administration
5mm Berstöm needle	homemade	N/A	Tissue collection. Similar to other Berstöm needles
Acrylastic	BSN medical GmbH 22771 Hamburg	269700	elastic compression bandage
Complete protease inhibitor cocktail	Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany	11836145001	Protease inhibitor tabeletes added to all solutions that hold muscle tissue.
Cutasept	PAUL HARTMANN AG Paul-Hartmann-Straße 12 89522 Heidenheim Germany	9805630	Disenfectant spray for the skin
Leucomed T plus	BSN medical GmbH 22771 Hamburg	7238201	Transparent wound dressing with wound pad to seal the wound and protect against infection
Leukostrip	Smith and Nephew medical Limitied 101 Hessle road, Hull Great Britain	66002876	wound closure
Surgical disposable scalpels	Aesculap AG Am Aesculap-Platz 78532 Tuttlingen Germany	BA200 series	Incision
Unihaft cohesive elastic bandage	BSN medical GmbH 22771 Hamburg	4589600	cohesive elastic bandage that protects against mechanical impact
Xylocitin 2% with Epinephrin	Milbe GmbH Münchner Straße 15 06796 Brehna Germany	N/A	Controlled substance anesthesia, vasoconstriction