The relationship between muscle fibre atrophy factor, plasma carnosinase activities and muscle RNA and protein composition in chronic alcoholic myopathy.

The relationship between chronic ethanol consumption and muscle biopsy morphometry (i.e. atrophy factor), plasma analytes, including carnosinase activities and tissue composition was investigated. In approximately half of chronic alcohol misusers there was Type II-fibre atrophy, which was correlated with reductions in muscle protein and serum carnosinase activities. The protein composition was also correlated with RNA composition. These results directly implicate defects in protein and RNA turnover as characteristics of chronic alcoholic myopathy and re-affirms the routine diagnostic use of fibre-type morphometry to identify these patients.