Due to the highly sensitive nature of metabolic states, the quality of metabolomics data depends on the suitability of the experimental procedure. Metabolism could be affected by factors such as the method of euthanasia of the animals and the sample collection procedures. The effects of these factors on metabolites are tissue-specific. Thus, it is important to select proper methods to sacrifice the animal and appropriate procedures for collecting samples specific to the tissue of interest. Here, we present our protocol to collect specific mouse skeletal muscles with different fiber types for metabolomics studies. We also provide a protocol to measure lactate levels in tissue samples as a way to estimate the metabolic state in collected samples.
Keywords: Amplex Red; Dissection; Euthanasia; Lactate; Metabolomics; Skeletal muscle.