Comparison of caspase-3 activity in post-mortem muscle of different species

The objective of this study is to compare whether caspase-3 is activated in the M longissimus lumborum of cows, the M longissimus dorsi of sheep, and the breast and leg muscles of geese during the initial postmortem stage. Samples from cows were obtained at 0, 4, 8, and 24 h after slaughter. Samples from sheep and geese were taken at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 24 h. Pro-caspase-3 was cleaved into active caspase-3 during the initial postmortem stage in cow. Caspase-3 activity was found to increase gradually at 0, 4, and 24 h postmortem in cows. Pro-caspase-3 was activated at 6 and 9 h postmortem in sheep. Caspase-3 activity is not activated postmortem in the breast and leg muscles of geese. The results of this study show that caspase-3 activity differed in different species and that the changes in caspase-3 activity over time also differed in the different species.