Pre-hibernation diet alters skeletal muscle relaxation kinetics, but not force development in torpid arctic ground squirrels

During the hibernation season, Arctic ground squirrels (AGS) experience extreme temperature fluctuations (body temperature, T b , as low as − 3 °C), during which they are mostly physically inactive. Once T b reaches ~ 15 °C during interbout arousals, hibernators recruit skeletal muscle (SkM) for shivering thermogenesis to reach T b of ~ 35 °C. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the diet are known to influence SkM function and metabolism. Recent studies in the cardiac muscle of hibernators have revealed that increased levels of ω-6 and the ω-6:ω-3 PUFA ratio correlate with sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) activity and hibernation status. We hypothesized that diet (increased ω-6:ω-3 PUFA ratio) and torpor status are important in the regulation of the SERCA pump and that this may improve SkM performance during hibernation. Ex vivo functional assays were used to characterize performance changes in SkM (diaphragm) from AGS fed the following diets. (1) Standard rodent chow with an ω-6:ω-3 ratio of 5:1, or (2) a balanced diet with an ω-6:ω-3 ratio of 1:1 that roughly mimics wild diet. We collected diaphragms at three different stages of hibernation (early torpor, late torpor, and arousal) and evaluated muscle function under hypothermic temperature stress at 4 °C, 15 °C, 25 °C, and 37 °C to determine functional resilience. Our data show that torpid animals fed standard rodent chow have faster SkM relaxation when compared to the balanced diet animals. Furthermore, we discovered that standard rodent chow AGS during torpor has higher SkM relaxation kinetics, but this effect of torpor is eliminated in balanced diet AGS. Interestingly, neither diet nor torpor influenced the rate of force development (rate of calcium release). This is the first study to show that increasing the dietary ω-6:ω-3 PUFA ratio improves skeletal muscle performance during decreased temperatures in a hibernating animal. This evidence supports the interpretation that diet can change some functional properties of the SkM, presumably through membrane lipid composition, ambient temperature, and torpor interaction, with an impact on SkM performance. Graphical abstract