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Age-related changes in the myocardium of the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) as a model of accelerated aging of the heart

“…Correla tion between the number of IMCs and contractile activity of MCCs was shown in rats and swifts [7]. The number of IMCs in the interfibrillar area of the MCCs of JQ does not change with age (on average, 40 per 100 mitochondria), but in the perinuclear area, where the protein synthesizing apparatus of MCCs is located, it is decreased by 16% (from 43.0 ± 2.2 to 36.1 ± 2.1), which suggests a reduced energy con sumption associated with protein synthesis and the beginning of atrophy.…”

“…1a). Perivascular "buds" of sarcoplasm filled with mitochondria, which are typical of the MCCs of mammals [7], are absent in birds. The spe cific volume of myofibrils in young JQs is 43.4 ± 0.67%; that of mitochondria is 29.7 ± 0.61%, which corresponds to the data on mammals [1].…”

“…Mitochon dria are heterogeneous (Fig. 1a): in the perinuclear area, small rounded mitochondria are prevailing; in the interfibrillar area, stretched and/or large ones, similar to those of the MCCs of mammals, are more frequent [1,7].…”