PNNL

Abstract

Postmortem changes in rabbit muscle tissue with different glycogen status (normal vs low) were followed continuously from 13 min postmortem until 8 h postmortem and again 20 h postmortem using simultaneous magic angle spinning 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy together with measurement of the transverse relaxation time, T2, of the muscle water. The 1H metabolite spectra were measured using the phase-altered spinning sidebands (PASS) technique at a spinning rate of 40 Hz. pH values calculated from the 31P NMR spectra using the chemical shifts of the C-6 line of histidine in the 1H spectra and the chemical shifts of inorganic phosphate in the 31P spectra confirmed the different muscle glycogen status in the tissues. High-resolution 1H spectra obtained from the PASS technique revealed the presence of a new resonance line at 6.8 ppm during the postmortem period, which were absent in muscles with low muscle glycogen content. This new resonance line may originate from the aminoprotons in creatine, and its appearance may be a result of a pH effect on the exchange rate between the amino and the water protons and thereby the NMR visibility. Alternatively, the new resonance line may originate from the aromatic protons in tyrosine, and its appearance may be a result of a pH-induced protein unfolding exposing hydrophobic amino acid residues to the aqueous environment. Further studies are needed to evaluate these hypotheses. Finally, distributed analysis of the water T2 relaxation data revealed three relaxation populations and an increase in the population believed to reflect extramyofibrillar water through the postmortem period. This increase was significantly reduced ( p