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Controlled reduction of the connective tissue contribution to cooked meat toughness is an objective that would have considerable financial impact in terms of added product value. The amount of intramuscular connective tissue in a muscle appears connected to its in vivo function, so reduction of the overall connective tissue content is not thought to be a viable target. However, manipulation of the state of maturity of the collagenous component is a biologically viable target; by increasing connective tissue turnover, less mature structures can be produced that are functional in vivo but more easily broken down on cooking at temperatures above 60°C, thus improving cooked meat tenderness. Recent work using cell culture models of fibroblasts derived from muscle and myoblasts has identified a range of factors that alter the activity of the principal enzymes responsible for connective tissue turnover, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). Fibroblasts cultured from 3 different skeletal muscles from the same animal show different cell proliferation and MMP activity, which may relate to the different connective tissue content and architecture in functionally different muscles. Expression of MMP by fibroblasts is increased by vitamins that can counter the negative effects of oxidative stress on new collagen synthesis. Preliminary work using in situ zymography of myotubes in culture also indicates increased MMP activity in the presence of epinephrine and reactive oxidative species. Comparison of the relative changes in MMP expression from muscle cells vs. fibroblasts shows that myoblasts are more responsive to a range of stimuli. Muscle cells are likely to produce more of the total MMP in muscle tissue as a whole, and the expression of latent forms of the enzymes (i.e., pro-MMP) may vary between oxidative and glycolytic muscle fibers within the same muscle. The implication is that the different muscle fiber composition of different muscles eaten as meat may influence the potential for manipulation of their connective tissue turnover.

Different muscles in a beef carcass are known to respond differently to the same stimulus or animal growth pattern or both. This may complicate the search by the meat industry for production methods to render meat tender. One of the major differences between muscles in the same carcass is in the expression of intramuscular connective tissue. Current study investigates the existence of a phenotypic difference among fibroblasts from 3 bovine skeletal muscles as exemplified by the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) the main enzymes responsible for connective tissue turnover. The sensitivity of phenotypic differences to cell culture conditions (passage number, presence of growth factors from fetal serum) was also examined. Fibroblasts, the main cells responsible for the production and turnover of collagen were isolated from LM, semitendinosus (STN), and sternomandibularis (SMD) muscles from a bull calf and grown in DMEM, 10% fetal bovine serum, and 5% CO(2). Cell doubling times, survival time, resting expression, and activity of MMP and the effect of serum withdrawal in the culture media on MMP expression and activity were determined for each cell line during 15 passages. Fibroblasts isolated from the 3 muscles had different growth potentials. The shortest (P 0.05) of MMP-2 activity in comparison with LM and SMD cells until passage 4. At passage 15, no activity was detected for any cell line. Serum withdrawal generally reduced MMP-2 activation but did not eliminate differences in activity between fibroblasts from the 3 muscles. These results suggest that fibroblasts from different locations are phenotypically different and may respond differently to the same growth or nutritional stimulus in vitro. This may be related to in vivo differences in accumulation, maturity, and turnover of collagen, and ultimately meat tenderness. These findings may be important for selecting a management strategy for improving meat tenderness by manipulation of animal growth; a strategy applied to the whole animal may work for some muscles but not for others.

Vitamins influence collagen metabolism in animals grown for meat. This study investigated whether vitamins E and C regulate collagen turnover in muscle by the balance of effects on the synthesis of collagen and its degradation by secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by bovine intramuscular fibroblasts. Fibroblasts isolated from longissimus dorsi (LD) and semitendinosus (ST) muscle were treated with different concentrations of vitamins. Pro-MMP-2, MMP-2, and total soluble collagen (TSC) synthesis were determined. Vitamins E and C each preferentially increased (P < 0.05) MMP-2 in cells derived from LD relative to those derived from ST. Higher TSC values (P < 0.05) were found for ST cells than for LD cells. Both vitamins may increase collagen turnover exerted by intramuscular connective tissue fibroblasts. These results may have implications in vivo on animal production, as a high rate of collagen turnover may lead to increased collagen solubility in muscles, which can affect meat tenderness.