All previous aging research on the contractility of rodent skeletal muscle has been
conducted on male rodents. Because males and females age differently, we undertook this
study to determine if and when age-related decrements in skeletal muscle contractility occur
in female mice. Soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles from female C57BL/6
mice aged∼ 4, 8, 16, 24 and 28mo were assessed in vitro for contractility and subsequently
contractile protein content. EDL muscle was resistant to age-related changes in force …